Guardian Angels
by See That Guy
Summary: "Blessed are those who search for redemption." There's no such thing as a heart container- just very good luck, armor, and the guidance of a cursed wolf.
1. Prologue

***NOTA BENE: I strongly recommend you read "Sacred Hearts and Fallen Angels" first, or you'll likely be very lost.**

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**Prologue**

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**"Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They're just brave for five minutes longer."**

**-Ronald Regan**

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I remember the first day I met the Hero of the Time. When I saw him, I... he reminded me of myself many years ago; myself when I lived for the Brotherhood; fought for the Brotherhood... he reminded me of myself when I thought that I was talented enough with a blade to bring about change in the world...

Our paths were different, nonetheless. He met me because one of his fairies warned him of my presence. I met him because that man told me he'd be here.

I was wrong in believing that I could change the world... but when I looked at Link, I knew he could... and I knew he _would._

Though I felt a bond with him before I even spoke to him, I never intended on joining him on his journey. I did not. My attempt on Ganondorf's life was unsuccessful... and in this form there's no way I would succeed should I try again.

I was tired... A creature of my age should not be running all over Hyrule Field anymore. It should be tucked away, resting... I've done my part for the hero. Now it is time for him to do what I failed to do so many years ago...

It's time for him to kill that bastard.

My joints popped and my bones ached, but my stomach was full for the first time in days. Hunger cannot kill me, anyway. Nothing can with that evil man breathing.

I let out a breath through my nostrils and shut my eyes. I never wanted to be immortal. I never wanted to take this form. I wanted to do what I was sent to do and then go home... my new home, since the one I loved passed on many years ago.

Many would wish to live forever. Many would wish to be impossible to kill... but immortality is a curse. Most are blinded by the idea of never being judged. Most are blinded by the idea that they cannot die... but the truth is, _NOTHING_ can kill you. Not even starvation.

I know from months of experience that starvation magnified by a curse doesn't bother you, doesn't hurt you...

It torments you. Every waking moment a stabbing pain goes through your stomach, and your legs are lead weights that take nearly all your energy to simply move. You can trick your body once in a while by drinking water, but ultimately you end up feeling like your stomach is _leaking._

It is not the sheer pain that tortures you. It's the fact that this pain is constant, constant until you find something to fill your empty belly.

You don't sleep willingly. You cannot hope to fall asleep of your own accord. Instead, the pain becomes so much that you can't shut your eyes for more than a second. You don't sleep until you eventually pass out after days of deprivation. However, fainting from lack of sleep can take days to finally come around...

...and the sleep deprivation becomes another form of torment that immortality offers.

I could continue to describe what I endure, but what's the point? When Link kills that man, my curse will be lifted.

All at once I feel tired...

_...Perhaps I'll just... lie down and rest a moment..._

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**This will be a very brief fic (I think only 7 chapters or so). Those of you that didn't read SHFA, let me clarify:**

**I was never comfortable with "heart containers" when it comes to writing about zelda games. I tried to make Link's endurance seem more realistic, and so Canis came to be. He kills two birds with one stone for me- I don't like heart containers, and I don't like how Link's wolf form in _Twilight Princess_ was explained.**

**Essentially, those that might have read SHFA know that Canis got Link armor. This is the story of what he went through to get Link armor. **


	2. Rising Wolf

**Chapter 1**

**Rising Wolf**

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**"If your attack is going too well, you're walking into an ambush."**

**-Infantry Journal**

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How could I forget the first day I met the Hero of the Time? It started as any other for me- I was on my fifth or sixth day without food (I got lucky and managed to kill a rabbit days ago), and when I woke up, I left my den to get some water.

I planned to search the fields of Hyrule for food that day, but... at my usual watering hole, I met a man.

It wasn't the Hero. The Hero of the Time wore a green tunic and hat. This man wore a black suit and top hat. He didn't acknowledge my presence until I got closer.

"Hello, Canis... former Assassin Canis," were the first words he said to me. The man had a common enough face; the only thing that set him apart from anyone else was his mustache.

I stared up at him for a few moments.

"...Do I know you?" I asked. He resumed staring out at the water.

"I hope so. I know you."

"...Doesn't it bother you that I am a wolf?" I asked. "Why speak to an animal?"

"You're hardly any different than you were when you served Al Mualim."

"How do you know... I served the Order of Assassins? I don't remember you!"

"Oh, I know quite a lot about you, Canis... just about everything there is to know, actually. I know that you were born in a stagecoach to latin-speaking parents, I know you were raised as an Assassin, I know how proud your mother was when you started walking... I know that you used to think Al Mualim was _Sinterklaas._.. do you remember thinking that, Canis?"

I stared for a few moments. "No."

"Then, why would you remember me, friend? You cannot even remember yourself."

I was silent for a moment, and then I perked up again. "Don't you realize you're in the Lost Woods? You should leave, before you are cursed."

"Oh, the Deku Tree's influence doesn't bother me..."

"...Are you protected?"

He shrugged a little. "In a way."

I was silent, and he continued.

"Canis, have you ever heard of the Hero of Time?"

I nodded. "I heard the legend."

"Right, and you know about those monsters patrolling the corridors in the Sacred Forest Meadow, don't you?"

"Yes, but... how do you know of them?"

He ignored my question.

"The Hero of Time will be heading for the Sacred Forest Meadow today. He's not aware of the monsters patrolling the corridors that will try to stab him on sight. He'll be in this area in around two hours. Why don't you find him and advise him how to best proceed?"

I kept staring. This man was beginning to annoy me.

"Who do you think I am?" I asked. Finally, the man slowly turned.

"Oh, I know exactly who you are, Canis... just if you've got the time, is all."

"Who are you?" I asked. He simply turned away from the water.

"Look after yourself."

With those words, he walked off. I stood where I was for several seconds. I eventually shook my head. Since I knew that searching for food would ultimately end unsuccessfully, I decided I'd go meet with the Hero of the Time. Maybe he'd have meat for me?

I spent the two hours beforehand as I typically did: I thought of my shortcomings in my battle against Ganondorf.

I did not keep track of the men I killed as an Assassin; of the lives I ended for what my master believed was the "greater good". I was not the best when sent to take a target alone (that's not to say I was useless), but when I was sent with my two partners, we were very effective.

Sanford and Deimos. These were my partners for missions from 1189 to 1198. Our last mission was of Ganondorf. If we succeeded, I would not be telling this story right now.

It was my fault we went on the mission. Ganondorf killed my wife and boy... my lovely Abigail, and my son... the boy she named "Link".

I never met my boy. I was too attached to the brotherhood to care for my wife and child. I was always overseas. While I'd send her support through warm words and money, there is no substitute for being there in the flesh.

I never saw my baby boy except through Abigail's words... and how I loved him just by her descriptions; her letters...

"...blue eyes that are deeper than the sea that seperates us..."

Every day since his and her murder (Ganondorf chased them into the Lost Woods- forbidden trees that destroy non-forest nymphs or animals), I regretted never being home. Even if they were not killed, I likely wouldn't see them. My boy was born in 1187... and was killed shortly after his birthday in 1188. Ganondorf tried hard to cover up what he did, but... the Assassins have eyes everywhere. I learned the truth... so when I heard that Ganondorf was being targeted, I volunteered my team to go.

I was good with the sword. Had I gone several years before, I'd likely succeed... but our battles with the Templars (our enemies) were growing fierce. One of our best let arrogance get the better of him... our master betrayed us...

...too many things went wrong. The only thing good that came of our attack on Ganondorf was my being absent from Masyaf when Al Mualim betrayed us.

I digress. What I mean to say is, had we been sent sooner (before Ganondorf would have a chance to become too powerful), the evil Gerudo would have been stopped, and all would be well off for the land.

Had I succeeded, my two friends would not be dead and buried in undisclosed locations, and I would not be cursed to wander the lands as a tormented wolf.

I wonder sometimes why Ganondorf chose "wolf", of all animals. Maybe he found something ironic about a big, strong beast being unable to defeat him. All I know is, he used me as an example of what might happen to those who attempt to buck the system. My fate isn't known to be a reality; I'm a horror story told around campfires at night... but it happened.

I wouldn't be searching for the Hero of the Time by smell otherwise.

It wasn't too long before I managed to get him by ear, too. (That's not too tough; the soul of the forest is not so loud that you cannot hear yourself think, and that was true even more so when Ganondorf was in power).

"What's that saying? When you _ass-_ume you become a pain in the ass to me?"

It wasn't long before I had them by sight, too... the green-garbed boy, and two forest fairies (one green, the other blue).

I approached from behind, and I didn't want to make the boy think that I was there to cause harm, so I became submissive. My tail sunk between my legs, my ears drooped, I avoided eye contact (I'd glance up at him every so often), and I shook.

The blue fairy noticed me first. It almost immediately started quivering while flying.

"Jack, watch it..." she said. The green fairy (I guess Yack) turned to acknowledge her a bit.

"What? He's old enough to hear a little sailor-talk!"

"No, I mean watch it!"

The speed at which the Hero drew his sword and shield was impressive. He whirled around quickly and smoothly.

When I looked at his face, I was reminded of my baby's description. The Hero has blue eyes and blonde hair... but it's a common enough look.

Even if he was named "Link", it wouldn't be so strange. It's a common name in Hyrule.

"Wait a minute..." muttered the Hero. He was studying my stance.

"...You... you're the one that's supposed to destroy Ganondorf, aren't you?"

If I had the means to, I would have laughed. The expression the boy wore (I could only imagine his fairies had the same thing; they're too small and my vision's not perfect) was one of pure surprise. I didn't blame them; I was, after all, a talking wolf. I continued speaking.

"I've heard the legends! An evil man takes over the land and a boy from the forest pushes him back. Besides that I can smell the purity coming off of your sword. It's the Master Sword, is it not?"

"Who are you?" they all asked at once. I felt a little more comfortable (they were not going to attack me just yet), and I sat down, panting.

"Right now I'm a wolf in the present tense. Seven years ago I was "Canis". I wish to be a wolf in the past tense... and you are?"

"I... I'm Link... how is it possible that you speak?"

Link! I thought so; he looked like a Link. I smiled the best I could at him.

"Such is the power of the Lost Woods. Now then, do you want to know a secret?"

The Hero nodded, but he remained at the ready for an attack. I sighed and shut my eyes.

"Seven years ago I was a human. I was a man with aspirations on Ganondorf's life. Two friends shared my goal."

Before I could continue, the blue fairy interrupted.

"Do you believe him, Link? He could be working for Ganondorf!"

I growled lowly at the accusation. "I assure you that I'd be tearing Ganondorf's throat out right now if I could."

The blue fairy crossed her arms, and Link spoke up.

"So were you one of these "Assassins" or "Templars" that I've heard so little about? Tell us your alleged story."

"I was an Assassin. My friends were Assassins. Together we formed a trio called the "Dangerous Three". We came to put an end to Ganondorf's rule by any means necessary. We did what we could to slow his progress to a halt: We broke into his motel rooms, lit his belongings on fire, stole any boats shipping supplies to his supporters, and killed those he allied with to make a statement. Then the order came to kill the man. We tried- and failed. Sanford... Deimos... my friends were killed by the man. After we failed, the rest of the Assassins came to finish what we started- and all failed."

In reality, not _every_ Assassin came to Hyrule. Really, only a few hundred did, as Hyrule has no standing Order. However, we work better in darkness, so it's best for everyone to think that we're gone.

"And yourself? Why did Ganondorf spare you?" the boy asked. I growled.

"He did not spare me! Look what he did to me! He cursed me into this form, he cursed me to remain in this form as long as he remains in power! I wish I was dead every day!"

The others were silent, and I continued.

"Immortality may be the desire of some, but it is no gift. It is torture. I eat very rarely. While it won't kill me, hunger hurts! Every day I think back to our failures... if Sanford had just been more offensive... if Deimos worked with us as a team... We may have had a shot."

I took a moment to breathe, and the three before me remained silent.

"Please... Link. I want to rest. I want to sleep. I cannot without the death of Ganondorf, though. Cursed I may be, but I can return the favor. This much I assure you."

I had a feeling... a gut feeling. I was preparing to try to do something, but Link interrupted me.

"I do not wish for you to repay me, Canis. I promise Ganondorf will fall to my blade. I make this promise for you and for the greater good."

This hero would make a good Assassin. He is very level-headed. Still, I sighed.

"I must help. I must repay your kindness. I am cursed, but in the Lost Woods even I have gained some power."

I felt the magic coursing through my veins, however temporarily. Mental, I took hold of the curse that binds me in this form, and I removed some aspects. No, I can't break my own curse, but I can alter it and place it upon someone else, too.

I gave Link my curse, but I turned it into a gift. It is what is called a "Sleeper Spell", and it passes through bloodlines. However, Link would be able to break the spell, he would not be immortal, his life would not be bound to anyone else's, and it is up to the Goddesses to decide when the spell should be active. Needless to say, after I passed my gift to him, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Perhaps you or your descendants can find a better use for this form than I. I have given you a sleeping power; one that will awaken when the need arises. It will pass on from generation to generation in your family: The power of a cursed wolf... or perhaps a sacred one. You may never experience what I have given you, or maybe you will. Regardless, I have a feeling it will come in useful along the path of history."

The boy bowed to me. "Thank you, Canis. I'm sure it will."  
I returned his bow as best as I could, and then I eyed him again.

"I have a hunch that you're heading to the Sacred Forest Meadow. Be wary of the corridors, monsters will patrol them and stab anyone on sight."

Link smiled. "Thank you for the warning, Canis."

With that, I uttered a phrase I grew up hearing.

"_Nihil versus, omnia licita._ Goodbye and good luck, my friend."

...And then I turned and walked off. For the first time in a long time, I started to feel good about myself; about my simple verbal exchange. I wasn't smiling inwardly for long before I noticed the man from earlier walking alongside me. He walked casually with his hands behind his back, and he looked straight ahead. For most, the Lost Woods are disorienting, but... he looked like he knew exactly what he was doing.

"The stereotype of the Assassin Order is that you love killing; you love violence... isn't it?"

I stared up at him. He continued.

"Why would a bloodthirsty Assassin warn someone of possible danger? What gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies?"

This time, I spoke.

"You say you know me, yet you aren't aware that I dislike killing? You aren't aware that I only killed when necessary, and we let those that did not need to die flee?"

"Oh, I knew. I know that Sanford never agreed with your ideals, too."

We were both silent for a few moments, and I even stopped walking.

"Who are you?" I asked again. He turned to face me.

"You know, I admire you, Canis. Really, I do. Anyway, now that you've acquainted yourself with the Hero of Time, what did you notice about his choice of armor?"

The boy... he had a sturdy metal shield and some chainmail. Other than that... he was unprotected. Chainmail is effective blocking ranged attacks, but not much more.

"It's hardly armor at all," I answered. The man continued.

"I know that the Assassins have weapon and armor caches hidden throughout Hyrule, and I know that one happens to be just under the Forest Temple. Why don't you go there, see if you can find him some armor? Or don't! I know that the unknown can be awful scary..."

There was a pause. He turned to look out at the forest.

"Canis, what do you know about the Kokiri?"

I blinked, but didn't get up. I was comfortable where I was laying.

"I know that they are forest nymphs that live in the woods. I've met a couple."

"They fed you a few times, didn't they?"

I stared. "You approached the hero soley because you thought he might have food or something for you to eat. The hero believes he is a Kokiri, too."

"That's impossible," I muttered, and my eyes slowly widened.

"The hero is a Hylian."

The man chuckled lightly. "You and he have so much in common... or had."

"Because we were both Hylian?"

"Well, because you're both skillful with swords. And because your son-"

I growled at the mention of my child. "People go missing in these woods all the time. If he was my son, my wife would be here still, too."

The man nodded. "Oh, I agree entirely, Canis. She would still be here."

"Tell me your damn name!"

He chuckled lightly again. "Many damn my name. Just thought I'd let you know that. Maybe you can tell the Hero, along with finding that armor? Or keep it; not sure it'll make a difference."

Before I could respond, he started walking off again.

"See you around, Canis."

I stared at him while he slowly walked for a few seconds, and then I turned my head the other way; looking at the peak of the Forest Temple just barely above the treetops.

The Assassins have weapon and armor caches hidden throughout the world... but only a handful are simply rooms with goods in them. Most are dungeons filled with traps that only Assassins know to avoid. In Hyrule, there's something even better:

The magic throughout Hyrule is used even by the Assassins. Since there is no standing Order in Hyrule, monsters were created to guard our devices. Only Assassins are permitted through without attack. I _was_ an Assassin, but... outwardly I was an animal. Should I enter the Forest Cache, I would be attacked... and since the Assassins attacked Ganondorf, I wasn't sure if I would find any armor.

Once I gave it more thought, I felt like I probably would find _something_. The Forest Cache is in the Lost Woods, and only Assassins wielding Goddess-blessed instruments would be permitted in the woods long enough to access the armor. Since the attack was so sudden, odds were not everything was taken.

I decided to help the Hero in this way. This isn't some game; he's not going to find some magic heart that'll somehow make him stronger. If he hopes to survive, he has to have armor. I started trotting back into the Sacred Forest Meadow (those monsters that patrol the corridors don't bother me, since I'm not the Hero of the Time).

I ran. I didn't want to miss the Hero of the Time (I could only hope that he wouldn't get killed inside the Forest Temple). Though he's a hero... I don't feel like he's so smart if he'll run into battle wearing only chain mail and a tunic on his body.

When I made it to the Sacred Forest Meadow, I knew where to go. I could smell the Hero's scent heading into the Forest Temple through a window (the doors were blocked off). I could also smell another person, but I did not know who it was.

I made sure that nobody saw where I was going (though it is said that the Templars were eradicated, too, they are also simply in hiding). I felt kind of stupid after I gave it some thought, though. Who would be around to see me enter the cache, anyway? Anyone this far into the Lost Woods would've turned by now... and the Assassins have more important things to worry about right now... like conflict amongst themselves.

I walked right to the entrance to the cache. It is directly behind a stump in the Sacred Forest Meadow, covered by moss. If you remove some of the moss, you'd see the mark of the Assassins. It is a doorway that requires a key to open, and then the Assassin crawls through it.

Our keys were typically the hidden blade. Since I no longer had my hidden blade (or opposable digits), I opted to ram my body into the small door until the lock gave way. They aren't strong locks, but security _inside_ is usually what is focused on. We tried to make the insides of our caches so hazardous to non-Assassins, that anyone who broke in would regret it fairly quickly.

Though my allegiance will always be with the Assassins (I'd consider myself one until the day I die), I would probably be put to death for what I was doing right now. I broke into a weapons cache (anyone that uses them for reasons not specified is punished), and now I was crawling through the doorway. The door shut behind me, and I was surrounded by darkness for a few moments while I continued forward.

It was musty and dank. I could hear water dripping (I could even hear the footsteps of either the Hero or a few monsters in the temple overhead). When I finally got through the crawlspace, the cache opened up to several corridors, each advertising their own devices: weaponry, leggings/greaves, and chestplates/vambraces.

I didn't think I'd have to get Link a sword (he has one), so I opted for the armor. Sure enough, the moment I took a step into the corridor labeled "leggings/greaves", spikes erupted from the walls above me. Had I been standing on two feet instead of four, I'd have been in serious trouble (Ganondorf's curse on me is immortality. I'm not exactly sure what would happen to me then, and I don't intend to find out).

I took a breath and watched the ground as closely as I could, while at the same time trying to keep an eye ahead of me.

Skeletons littered the floor as I walked; bodies of would-be robbers that tried to do what I was doing right now. Some were hanging upside down by a rotting rope, others were impaled to walls, others still lay dead at the feet of redeads (they ignore animals), and many more were simply lying on the floor. Most looked like they died holding a weapon. Whatever it is guarding this cache was talented, that's for sure...

My front right paw stepped forward, and it immediately sunk through the ground. Dirt for several feet ahead of me gave way and fell into a punji pit below. Again, had I not been on four legs, I'd be one with the spikes. I was liking being a wolf more and more.

Once I regained my balance, I took a few steps back and leapt over the trap... but it was like I was expected to do that. Several spikes actually shot up from the pit, and one managed to make a large gash in my hind leg. The impact knocked me off balance in mid-air and I tumbled a few times on the other side. (I had forgotten about that particular trap and several others).

The impact stung, but I tried to fight off whimpering. I went several months without food before, and Ganondorf made every moment excruciating. This was a mere cat scratch. Behind me, the spikes slowly retracted back into the floor.

Once I shook off the trap, I continued. The corridor stretched and stretched... yet the only monsters I found guarding against invaders were redeads, and they only go after humans. Still, I _knew_ there would be something out there that would harm me. Redeads were a favorite of the Assassins, but they weren't the only things out there.

I was reasonably surprised when I made it into the leggings/greaves cache without any other hassle.

In the middle of the room was a statue of a legendary Assassin known as Ptolomey. He worked in sciences, but in the darkness was also one of the most effective Assassins of his time. At the heart of many of our weapons caches is a figure of a legendary Assassin (in one there might be a status of Brutus, another our former mentor, etc), and a plaque describing what the Assassin did. Ptolomey's description was now worn away and unreadable (I wasn't very good at reading, anyway), but his likeness was here for a reason.

Once I was done staring, I looked around at the leggings that were left. All the great armor (_Assassin Magistro_, for instance. I would have killed to wear it in my time) was gone now. The only stuff left was the minimum- _Assassin Novicius._ It is what our lowest ranks wear, and it provides minimal protection against ranged attacks, and it's heat resistant. It provides no other decent protection because our lowest ranks are typically just scouts. They have to avoid ranged attacks and be able to resist the weather they might be subject to.

After making sure that there was nothing more, I reluctantly worked the armor onto my back (I held the greaves in my mouth). This would have to do.

The good news for me was there was a shortcut to the other caches (there was even an exit in the room that held the chestplates). The shortcuts had a few traps, too, but it would be easier to use them than to go all the way around.

After running my way through the hall (it didn't have as many traps because it had more creatures guarding it, and they might trip them), I made it into the room that held the chestplates and vambraces. I avoided all conflict in the hall, wanting to get this done with. I was getting tired and weaker still from hunger.

I was on my way up to the chestplates and vambraces when something smashed into my ribs and sent me several feet to my side with a yelp.

The greaves fell from my jaws and the leggings flew off my back. For a few moments I lay still, pushing back the pain I felt. When I eyed what hit me (it was a battleaxe), and then I looked at my side, I knew I took the entire impact but suffered no external injury. Still, it hurt a _lot._

I was being attacked by a re-creation of Ptolomey. This doppleganger was likely used to guard the armor against thieves/Templars. It must have been tracking me from the leggings/greaves room.

The doppleganger stared me down and slowly raised the battleaxe. Neither I nor the doppleganger exchanged words. True Assassins speak to their targets before or after a conflict- never during.

I had to defeat the doppleganger if I wanted to walk out of the cache with the armor (it probably wouldn't let me leave even if I went without anything), but I was wary. The dopplegangers created from the magic in Hyrule look like those they are based on and fight similarly to those they are based on, but... they do not fight exactly like the originals. I credit my victory over Ptolomey's doppleganger to this exactly: had I been fighting something equal in skill to Ptolomey, I would probably have found out just how "immortal" Ganondorf made me. How many more strikes from a battleaxe could I take?

I didn't want to find out. I charged forward and leaped into the air, aiming to grab Ptolomey by the throat... but he weaved out of the way and I just barely missed having my head taken off by his battleaxe.

Instictively, I was baring my teeth and growling while we danced around each other. He went for an attack, but I wasn't two ranks below _Assassin Magistro_ for nothing. This time, _I_ dodged out of the way (I weaved to one side and dashed behind him). Once I was behind him, I lunged for him again, this time just trying to knock him off balance.

I managed to knock him down (he lost his grip on the battleaxe), but as I went to dig my fangs into his neck, he elbowed me. I recoiled for a moment, and that was all he needed to turn the tables.

I was pinned to the ground by the neck, and I saw Ptolomey extend his hidden blade. I couldn't get him off me, and he turned my head to one side.

Be it coincidence or luck, he turned my head in the direction of his battle axe (it was within reach of my jaws). I knew I couldn't do much harm to him with it, but I latched onto it with my teeth and I stopped the blade with it before I got hit.

The battleaxe intervention gave me _just_ enough time to break free of Ptolomey's hold. I dropped the axe and latched onto his wrist with the now broken hidden blade, and I wrestled myself out of his hold. I used my advantage to knock him to the floor again, and this time I allowed for no time on his part to react. I bit down hard on his throat, and then released him when I was sure I won.

"Though you are only a shadow, it was an honor to battle you," I said. After these words, the doppleganger disappeared.

Once he was gone, I took a breath and retrieved the chestplate, vambraces, leggings, and greaves. (I held the vambraces and greaves in my jaws, and I fit the chestplate and leggings around my torso by way of belts attached to them). Despite my ingenuity, it wasn't the most comfortable way to wander.

With my treasures in tow, I escaped through a wooden door that was ajar, and from there I climbed several flights of stairs to sunlight above. The exit I chose emptied behind a few boulders (I had to break through a few vines to get out completely).

Once I was out, I started to find my way back to the Sacred Forest Meadow. I found a cave not far from the Forest Temple, and I set the armor down inside. Once that was done, I plopped down to rest my legs. I kept my ears up the whole time, though. I didn't want to miss the Hero.

As I was laying down, I thought about what that strange man told me. My son's name is Link, he disappeared with my wife into the Lost Woods and both died... if he was my son, shouldn't my wife still be here, too?

I knew that I'd never pick up the scent of my child (since he came to these woods as a baby, he'd have been killed by the magic in these trees. My wife would've been cursed). Though her shape would be different, her scent would remain (more or less) the same. If she was for some reason still human, then the Hero must be my boy.

I started sniffing at the ground, trying to find her scent (I've been a wolf for 7 years; I know how to do these things). I had to sniff at dry dirt and I ended up sneezing a lot, I had to make sure I didn't walk into trees or into an unwanted battle, I had to ensure that I wouldn't forget where I left the armor, and I had to be careful to get back before the Hero left the Forest Temple.

It was a bitch and a half, but I finally managed to find her scent. Once I did, it was only 5 minutes or so before I found her, or what remained of her.

She was not a human. She was in no way a human... it broke my heart to see what she became- a Stalfos. She spotted me, and all I saw in her hollow eyes was the need to kill. There was nothing left of my love in those eyes. If this was her fate, then my child is long gone.

Tears rolled down my cheeks as she stalked towards me. For a moment I debated putting her out of her misery... and though I've done many bad things in my life, even I could not bring myself around to do that.

I turned away and started running back to where I left the armor. I didn't openly cry for her, but tears fell from my eyes. My heart ached... but at least I knew now. I knew the fate of my Abigail, and I believed now that I knew the fate of my child.

If this boy suffered the same fate as my family did, then I did not want to keep him in the dark. Even so, I was disappointed. That strange man gave me a little hope on his last visit (though I still did not like him). To find that my wife was gone hurt, and my hopes were dashed.

I got close enough to my spot in time to hear the Link talking with his fairies, and I smiled the best I could. The soul of the forest was louder now (still not loud enough to interrupt thinking), and it sounded healthier.

The Hero succeeded. I trotted up to him and announced my presence by speaking.

"You've lifted the curse on this temple, and the soul of the forest is regaining it's lost strength. Well done, Link."

The hero and the fairies turned to look at me. Inwardly, I growled. I forgot the armor, and I'd have to run back and get it.

My eyes widened a little at the sight of his chainmail. Yes, I'd _definitely_ have to get it. His chainmail wasn't providing any complimentary protection, and that's putting it lightly. It was shredded.

"Thank you, Canis," said the Hero. He sounded a little down, and I thought it wouldn't do to have the Hero of the Time sad, so I sat and tilted my head.

"But... it seems as if you are not without loss. Rest for a spell and tell me what is on your mind, Hero," I said. At my suggestion, Link sat down before me. His fairies rested on his shoulders.

"Canis, my best friend was the Sage of the Forest," he said. At these words, I perked up.

"Really? That is an honor, Hero! It is not a cross to bear."

"The consequence of such a responsibility is that I cannot see her again. Ever. I've lost my friend."

Again, I tilted my head a little.

"Although you are separated, don't ever consider your friendship lost. I consider my friends who died still with me; my family that died still with me. You may not see her again, but duty cannot destroy a true friendship."

My words weren't helping him so much yet, but they made me feel a little better. He stayed silent. I nudged him with my head so he'd pay attention, and I continued.

"Okay, let me ask you this, Hero: Do you love her? Do you love her like she was your family?"

He nodded. "I want her to be happy. Nothing else matters."

"And I'm sure she wants to see you happy, too," I said. Link was still not so sure.

"Think. If she's a good friend then she'd want you to be happy and move on. The world needs you, Hero. Show it your strength and make your friend proud."

Finally, I got him to smile. "Thank you, Canis."

I smiled in response. There was a brief pause.

"What of your friends?" he asked cautiously. I got tired of sitting and so I lay down before him.

"I had two: Sanford and Deimos. Which interests you?"

"Tell me about Sanford first."

I sighed. I hadn't spoken about my two friends much since what happened.

"Sanford never knew how to take a joke," I began. "He was talented in many forms of fighting but not so much at compassion. He liked to shoot first and ask questions later. Sanford carried around a large hook on a rope to use as a weapon. He was well-spoken and great if you wanted something to get done. Now, Deimos on the other hand..."

I took a breath, and let out a whine. I hoped nobody heard it (the green fairy, Yack, looked like he did).

"...Deimos was Sanford's polar opposite. He loved joking around and took almost nothing seriously. He preferred ranged weapons and was good at listening. He was good for distracting innocents while Sanford and I did what we had to do, though sometimes he'd... sometimes he'd do the job and he'd do it right."

I let out another whine. "The point is your friends never leave you. Remember that."

He nodded. "I will."

"Before you leave," I said. "I have something to tell you."

He stared, waiting. "What is it?"

I took a breath. Now, I didn't think anyone would believe that a mysterious stranger that knew everything told me this, so I made something up on the spot.

"I did some digging around the woods and heard stories from deku scrubs and skull kids that saw you seven years ago. I compared their descriptions of you to descriptions of the Kokiri. Something was off."

The only one that knew what I was talking about was the blue fairy, Navi. I acknowledged her, and continued.

"Kokiri don't grow up, Link. Kokiri always have fairies; you only got two when you were eleven. Link... there's no more doubt in what I want to tell you."

"What is it?" asked Link. I took a breath. This would either make him or break him.

"Link, you're not a Kokiri. You're a Hylian."

There was a brief pause before he responded.

"What? That's not true, Canis. The Great Deku Tree said I'm a Kokiri."

"No, you're not..." said his blue fairy. At around that point I stopped paying so much attention to the conversation and I started to think about the number of people that got lost in these woods.

Of all the people that did not belong here; of all the people the woods rejected, Link was the one that they allowed to come and go whenever. It is a fact that Kokiri die when they leave the forest. Link has gone mutliple times, and it never occurred to him. Perhaps he just thought he was the chosen one, or something? He was, after all.

If I paid attention to what Navi told the hero, maybe I'd have less to be depressed about. I don't try to depress others or seek pity by way of my story (Deimos might use a sad story to get company in bed), I just try to live on. I've struggled with the idea of going to kill Ganondorf again from time to time, but I just can't. Not like this. Over the years I learned to use this body (it's not killing to eat that I have trouble with. It's actually having a successful hunt). I can fight to defend myself, sure, but... I still wouldn't stand a chance against Ganondorf. If I couldn't do it as a human, there's no way now.

When I came to again, Navi had yelled at Link for something. I guess she explained to him what happened in his past, and he got upset and said something stupid, because she told him not to blame Yack; it wasn't his fault.

"Forgive and forget," I finally said. He sighed and put his head in his hands.

"Navi, I'm so sorry. I just... I feel like I've been living a lie," he said (him and me both).

"I understand, Link. You have not been living a lie. You are the Hero of Time, Link."

Navi the blue fairy was very sweet. She cared for him very much- almost like a mother cared for a son (I didn't know Yack so well at the time). I felt like anyone that came into contact with her would be her friend in under a day. Link was lucky to have her.

"I don't think I've ever been this confused before," said Link. I smiled the best I could.

"Destiny is confusing."

He nodded. "It is... Canis, why don't you come with us?" he asked.

I froze for a moment. If I went with Link, not only would I be able to show him where to find the armor, but I'd be able to help him clear the temples and then kill Ganondorf... Additionally, I might have a constant source of food.

If I went with him, I could be more or less happy... yet, I felt like it was wrong. My time has come and gone as a hero. I shook my head.

"It is your destiny that lies in the temples, not mine," I said.

"Very well," he said. He looked up at Navi. "Again, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Link. Now, is there anything else, Canis?" she asked.

I fought not to smile. It was time to get the Hero of the Time out of that torn up chainmail.

"There is one thing: I can't help but notice the condition of your chain mail, Link."

He started playing with the holes and slashes in it.

"Yeah, it seems to be failing me."

"Link, chain mail is effective for resisting ranged attacks. The cuts and slashes on your chain mail are caused by melee weaponry... to be specific I'd say... a Mongol's Sword?"

I knew exactly what type of sword he was struck by, because I saw the marks a Mongol's Sword can leave on armor, and I've seen the aftermath of an attack by one- one of our Assassins lost an arm to one.

As I thought about Malik's injury, I continued (trying not to wince). "I have to say, it's a miracle you even survived being struck by a Mongol Sword. You truly are the _tempore heros_; the... Hero of the Time. I'd like to give you something; a stronger armor. Hold on a moment."

With that, I trotted off to where I hid the armor. After I made sure nobody had eyes on it, worked it onto my body (it took a little bit). Eventually, I had everything, and though I did my best not to drag it in the dirt, I couldn't really help it. After what I did to get it, a little dirt was the least of my worries. When he was done with it, I had to remove it from existence (I can't say how that's done- do nothing that could compromise the brotherhood).

When I finally got it back to Link, I saw a confused look on his face. I set the greaves and vambraces down and bucked the chestplate and leggings off my back. Link knelt by me to look at the armor.

"This armor is used by the _assassin novicius_," I said. "It can resist heat and ranged, and weak melee strikes, but not much else. I will see if I can find stronger armor for you as time progresses, so come to the forest and see me once you finish whatever you're off to do now."

Once I finished speaking, Link started picking up the armor.

"How am I going to know when you're here or not?" he asked. I sat down and took a breath.

"Play this song on your Ocarina."

With that, I held my head high and I howled a melody; the song that was played to me when I was just a baby. Whenever I could not sleep, my mother would either hum this song to me or play it on her ocarina. She taught me how to play it on the Ocarina the day I was recruited as an Assassin.

My mother still lives, as far as I know. She is 65 and living in Italy with my father. I miss talking to them.

I digress. Once I finished the song, I looked up at Link, waiting. After a moment for him to regain his composure, he played the song once, and then again. I felt nostalgia flood through me, and I relaxed.

Yack named the song "The Song of Courage". My mother named it "Blessed son", but I liked his name for it, so I said nothing.

We bid each other farewell, and I left after uttering the basis of our creed to them- _Nihil versus, omnia licita._

Most nights before hand, if I even slept, it was troubled, fleeting rest.

That night, I slept peacefully, and I dreamt of days gone by back home.

End of Chapter

* * *

**7, 397 words.**

**The Strange Man is a nod to the stranger in _Red Dead Redemption._ We'll be seeing more of him.**

**"Yack" and "Hero of the time" are not typos. They're examples of broken english.**

**Next chapter is on finding armor for the water temple.**


	3. Water Under The Bridge

**Chapter 2**

**Water Under The Bridge**

* * *

**"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants."**

**-Sir Issac Newton**

* * *

That morning when I woke up I felt a little better than usual. I wasn't in pain so much anymore, and I felt a little different.

No, my curse wasn't lifted. If it was that easy, I'd have tried to do it a long time ago. My curse is tied to the life of Ganondorf. If he gets what he wants, not only will he be around forever, but so will I.

After an hour of attempted hunting (I found nothing more than a few nuts to eat), I decided to go to my favorite watering hole and then go find some more armor. I knew of another weapons cache just under a bridge that led to Kakariko Village. There was even a cache inside Kakariko, but if I could find decent armor within this one, there would be no reason to scare the people of the village I once lived in.

Walking to what remained of Hyrule Castle town could take up to a few days. Running through the fields on four feet would cut my trip down to a few hours. All I had to do was follow the river until I found the bridge.

I would've scowled if I could have, because that man that knows me was at my watering hole again. Once more he was standing around by it, just waiting. Though he said nothing, I knew he was there for me.

"Your creed demands that you do not compromise the brotherhood, yet you went ahead and got the hero some armor. Why don't you explain?"

"I told him nothing of where I got it or what it is made of. All he knows is that it is our lowest-ranked armor. Now, where do I know you from?"

"Why did you not attack Ganondorf after you were cursed?"

I stared for a moment.

"I'll let the proper authorities judge my actions," I said. He looked at me.

"Yes, you will. And they shall. But, doesn't your creed tell you to fight until you can fight no more? Why did you stop after your curse?"

I paused for another moment. I didn't really have an answer prepared. The man continued.

"If you cannot answer, then tell me what you thought of one of your brothers, instead. Tell me about Altaïr Ibn La Ahad."

Almost immediately I had a response. I knew Altaïr. I knew him well. He was one of our Grandmaster Assassins, and also the man that compromised us; that violated the creed. He is no better than our former master in my eyes.

"He is good with his blade, but not with his mind," I said. The man stared, waiting for more.

"He thinks before he acts; he puts what he believes is right before what should actually be done. He has killed innocent civilians, he has made himself known when he could have remained anonymous, and he even led the enemy to our homes. The man has his uses, but the problem is he knows it."

The strange man turned all the way to face me.

"His arrogance could have destroyed us."

"You believe he is arrogant?"

I nodded my head. "Many support me. The man's nose is stuck so high in the air that it attracts lightning."

There was another brief pause. The man stood up.

"Now, tell me where I know you from," I said. The man started walking.

"Another time. I'll see you around, my hypocritical friend."

I stared for what felt like a very long time, but was really only a few seconds. I shook my head a few times, and called out after him.

"I hope you don't!"

Once I didn't get a response, I took a long drink from the watering hole and then I headed out. Bringing the armor back (assuming I could find some) would not be such a big problem if it is better than what Link wears now. All armors from rank two up do not impede swimming, and the chestplate and leggings will even float on the water.

If I find better armor, I could use the river to take that armor back to the woods, and then I could just walk back with the greaves and vambraces. The river only branches out in one area, and I could easily walk it past. I just don't want to carry it all the way back.

As I wandered, I saw a Sheikah wandering not far off from me. He didn't notice me, but I saw him staring at the dirt, trying to track somebody (probably the hero). After a few moments, he looked up, tossed a deku nut to the ground and vanished. I scowled, but I didn't bother trying to engage the Sheikah in a fight. Sheikah serve the Royal Family, and the Royal Family is mostly Templar-based, as are the few remaining Sheikah.

With my thoughts, I ran. The entire time I stared up at the cloud above Death Mountain.

It glowed ominously.

X.-

Three hours later, I managed to make it to the bridge. I didn't see Link; I assumed he must've left shortly after I gave him the armor.

I had to jump into the water and then swim under the bridge to get to the doorway. From there, I climbed onto a stone platform and rammed my body into the weak door. It took a few more tries than the Forest Cache did, but that was because of the rust on the door from the river.

Once I managed to break through the door, I actually tumbled through the entrance and started sliding down a slope. I continued to slide until I landed in a cavern.

Water dripped from above, stalactites were on the ceiling and stalgmites were on the ground. The large cavern I was in had only one hallway to go through, and monsters were everywhere. Redeads, stalchildren, keese even- it didn't matter. I was confronted the moment I landed in the cavern by the stalchildren and keese. The stalchildren were not Assassin controlled. They simply made a home in this place, and monsters are rarely attacked by other monsters. The keese and redeads were the only monsters controlled by us.

I'd never defeat all the stalchildren. It's very difficult to actually clear an area of them. As soon as you defeat one, three more take its place.

I leapt for a keese and took it out of the sky as it neared me, and I started towards the hallway. The entire time I was dodging swipes from the stalchildren and bites from the keese (something in a keese's saliva prevents your blood from clotting- if you get bit enough, you can actually bleed out). I was not sure if that would make a difference on me, but again, I did not want to find out.

I actually plowed my body through one stalchild and continued running for the hallway. I had to stop running moments before I got into the hall, though.

As I neared the entrance, the stalactites above it gave way and fell. It was no coincidence. After they fell, they rose back up.

Now I was at a standstill. Behind me, what felt like hundreds of keese and stalchildren were closing in. Before me, stalactites were preventing my movement.

I was faced with two options: stay and fight (I did not want to know what it was like to be a stalhound), or try my luck with the stalactites.

I took a step towards the hall and the stalactites fell again. I let out a surprised yelp and looked back at the mob getting closer.

The stalactites rose up again...

...and I dove into the hallway.

Once I was safe from the stalactites, I slowly proceeded. Behind me, the mob grew closer, but the stalactites took out a few.

As I watched them, the ground gave way at my front paws and I almost fell forward. I yelped and looked ahead again, seeing a pit that had no definitive bottom. After checking above me to make sure there were no stalactites, I gathered my wits and leapt over the gap, just barely managing to make it. Behind me, a waterfall of stalchildren began.

The remaining keese continued to follow and harass me, but at least the stalchildren were dealt with.

Though the number of traps wasn't as numerous as in the forest cache, making it through this one was even tougher. While I dodged out of the way of keese attacks, I had to make sure I remembered where traps were located. It would make no sense to booby trap a cache and then not tell those they protect where they are located.

While I ran, ducked, and weaved, I had to focus.

_False wall on the left, trap door ahead to my right, falling stalactites ten meters ahead, jump over the punjii pit..._

I didn't get through perfectly. I got attacked by the keese a few times and hurt by a trap or two I forgot on other occasions. However, I made it through in (more or less) one piece.

Now, I was in the room with the armor, and in the center of it all was a statue of one of the first Assassins, Remus.

Unlike Ptolomey, Remus' weapon of choice was not a battleaxe, it was my favorite weapon: a rapier.

I was sure that his doppleganger would be protecting the armor, too, but he wouldn't bother attacking me until I figured out the puzzle in the room. The armor was protected by flames, and on every wall in the room there was a button, 4 in all. If I managed to remember the right 3-button combination, the flames would die out and I'd be able to access the armor. If I screwed it up, the entire room would blow up, courtesy of a few hundred pounds of dynamite buried in the walls and floor. A screw up would cause a button to light a flame beyond the wall and... well, it would hurt.

I didn't bother with the buttons until I fought off the keese. The entire time I battled with them, I tried to remember the combination.

_Was it... left wall, right wall, forward wall?_

I weaved out of the way of one keese and it flew into the flames protecting some armor. Now, it flew back out engulfed in flames and still trying to kill me. The other 10 that managed to follow kept swarming me, trying to give the flaming one an opening.

_...Right wall, forward wall, rear wall?_

I dove out of the way of the attack by the flaming keese, but into the attacks of a few others. It was a small price to pay to avoid being on fire. When the flaming keese hit the dirt, the flames on its wings died out, and the fight was back to normal. I took it out before it managed to fly into the flames again.

_No, it was left wall, rear wall, right wall! No, wait..._

After several minutes, I managed to take out the remaining keese. By then, I perked up.

_Forward wall, left wall, rear wall!_

I ran to the buttons I remembered and pressed them in the order I chose. I had to wait for a second for the combination to activate, but I remember it wasn't that nerve racking. If I was wrong, I might find a way out of Ganondorf's curse. If I was right, I might have some good armor to take.

It turned out I was right. The flames surrounding each piece of armor in the room died out, and I saw what was left. Of course, none of the _Assassin Magistro_ was left, nor were the other high ranks. All the _Assassin Novicius_ remained, and there was some other armor left. It was for Assassins of the two rank- _Assassin Lepidus_. It would not impede swimming, it resisted that which _Assassin Novicius_ resisted, and it also had a little more protection against melee attacks.

And then Remus almost stabbed me through my neck.

When someone is trying to stab you, you have to act now, and fear or become stressed later. You can't spend the two seconds you have to avoid the attack asking "why is this happening?" because the only answer you'll get is from death. You need to push panic out of your head and fight with everything you've got. If you succeed, you'll have time later to think.

After taking a life, an Assassin is sent to a doctor to talk about everything- not to boast or brag, but because Assassins that take lives and do not vent collapse into _mentalis _sick. They become withdrawn, sometimes they become catatonic. Other times, they begin to take pleasure in killing, and will go from being Assassins to being mindless murderers. Killing is not fun. It is a duty.

I would never blame these dopplegangers for attacking me; for hurting me. They are doing what they were created to do- defend their weapons caches. Every time I battled a doppleganger, I felt a sense of pride. I told Ptolomey's doppleganger that it was an honor to fight him, and I meant it.

Remus was quick with his attacks and though I was a wolf, I still found it somewhat difficult to avoid him. He was responsible for a few painful wounds, but Ganondorf's curse would make it seem like I was never attacked after a time.

To try and knock him off balance, I latched onto Remus' leg with my jaws and pulled. I managed to get what I wanted; I knocked him to a knee, but he stabbed at me again and I had to leap back.

After a several minute stalemate, I decided to try another tactic. Remus' rapier was good for stabbing attacks only. Many would try to put distance between an attacker and a rapier, but I tried to get close.

If you get close to someone with a rapier, you're probably going to be stabbed. Get closer, though, and the enemy will have no room to maneuver the weapon. As long as you're very close, you should be relatively safe from serious injury.

I was close enough for Remus' rapier to be useless, but I wasted no time. In a second Remus would know to leap back and stab me, so I latched onto his wrist and bit down hard. By reflex, Remus dropped the rapier, but his counterattack was faster than I anticipated.

I felt a sharp pain in my side and I rolled my eyes to see what Remus did. I let go of his arm and threw my weight into him, sending him to the ground.

His hidden blade broke off in my side. I took the moment I had left to bite down on the blade and pull it out. If I left it in, it would only injure me further. I started bleeding a little from my wound and I had to blink a few times in confusion. With my curse, I rarely bleed. I felt no weaker from the attack (it wasn't going to kill me), but... I was bleeding.

My confusion was cut short when Remus sliced at my _other_ side with his secondary weapon: a stiletto.

I yelped and started growling again, staring Remus down. He sliced at me again, and this time I managed to counter. I leapt to a side near his leg, whirled my body around, knocked him to his knees, and leapt onto his back. Before he could stop me, I bit down hard on his neck and ended the battle.

After I was sure I won, I said my final words to him.

"You fought well for a shadow. I will learn much from this battle."

With those words, Remus vanished. I turned to the armor, but looked at my wounds again. My stab wound was still bleeding, but the slice on my other side was fading already. It looked like the former would require a bit more time to vanish.

After I finished looking myself over, I trotted over to the armor. I knocked the _Assassin Lepidus_ off of its pedestal and wrestled it onto my body, I picked up the greaves and vambraces, and I approached the exit- a small crawlspace not far from the entrance to the room. Though the crawlspace was dark and cold, I knew where it would let me out- in a hole under a few roots of a tree near the river.

By the time I got out of the weapons cache, it was starting to get late. The river water wasn't running very quickly, so I decided to simply run the armor back myself. It was tough- I kept dropping parts of it. My stab wound vanished on the journey back to the woods, and so did my patience. I recall trying to say a few colorful things every time I dropped the armor, but outside the Lost Woods, all anyone else might hear is snarling.

It was late when I got back, but I knew I beat the hero. The cloud above Death Mountain still glowed, but I knew the hero was making progress and would be done soon. I used the time I had before he'd show up again to rest when I got back. I was too tired from my battle to bother trying to hunt.

I did not encounter that man at all while I rested, and I took a nap while waiting for the hero. Assassins never get a good night's sleep. They are always conditioned to wake up at the slightest noise in the night. It becomes a habit that might save your life one day, because one day the "slightest noise" might try to kill you.

That habit never leaves you. Once you get through a few nights where you were almost stabbed, light sleep becomes part of you. I cannot completely blame Ganondorf for my poor sleeping habits, because even if he didn't curse me, odds are I'd still have the same sleeping habits.

In regards to the hero, light sleep was helpful. I didn't want to miss him when he got back to the forest, and if I wanted to sleep, I knew I'd wake up at the sound of his ocarina.

My nap lasted a few hours, and when I awoke, I saw Death Mountain over the treetops. I smiled the best I could at the now peaceful cloud, and something more:

My curse was now weakening. With each Temple Link liberates, my curse weakens... but it would not be until the source is destroyed that I will be free of it. Now, grey began to line my fur. My body was finally beginning to age.

When I finally heard the notes from the Hero's ocarina, I howled in response and followed my ears. The first to notice me nearby was the green fairy, Yack.

"Hello Canis," he said.

"Good afternoon," I replied. I didn't very well care for Yack at first; he seemed like he was hiding something from his allies. No, I'm not saying he was with Ganondorf, but... he felt a little off to me.

"Canis, I've-"

I interrupted the Hero.

"Yes, I've seen the cloud above Death Mountain. It has returned to its peaceful form and the Gorons have returned to their homes. I also can feel my curse weakening as Ganondorf's influence falls..."

He smiled at me (as opposed to get angry for my interruption). "In what way?"

I returned the smile as well as I could. "My body _saecula._ Grey has begun to touch my fur, _iuvenis infinitum_ has left my body and I begin to age."

I've become so used to the sound of my stomach growling (starvation actually has a period where hunger stops, but Ganondorf's curse did whatever it could to torment me) that I rarely pay mind to it anymore. However, on that day, for whatever reason, I whined and my body language changed. I never liked to appear weak, but I really wanted to eat.

"I'm sorry," I finally said. I didn't look up, but I felt a hand on my neck. I flinched at the touch; the only person that ever laid hands on me with my consent would be my late wife. I didn't even like shaking hands with people; and many do that in Hyrule.

I digress. The Hero spoke. "When's the last time you ate?"

I couldn't really remember. My meals are so few and far between that it's hard to tell. Sometimes I get lucky and find good food, but... the last time that happened was a few months ago.

I didn't want to worry the Hero any more than I had to, so I lied. "About two weeks ago."

I tried my best to remain stoic when I heard the fairies gasp and felt Link's hand on my neck flinch.

"Canis, would you like me to prepare something for you?" he asked. I did not respond. My former master called me proud; my brothers stubborn. The Hero shared in my "pride". He said "Deku Sticks" out loud, and walked away from me.

"You need food and so do we. Have lunch with us, Canis."

I faked a smile and returned eye contact to the boy. "Thank you, my friend. That means a lot."

He patted my neck (I tried my best not to flinch; it wasn't anything personal, I just had issues about people touching me). "It's the least I can do," he said.

I was uncomfortable for the entire lunch. It is not the eating I detest so much as it is the eating with people. Being an Assassin is almost the equilvalent of being a philosopher. You tend to become a cynical bastard.

The slices of meat he gave me were covered with fat, and I saw the two fairies cringe at them as I got ready to eat.

"If you'd like it cooked, let me know."

There was more fat on the two slices than there was on my body. I'm not saying that there was a whole lot of fat on them, but... I don't have any body fat.

"Thank you again," I said. "I am no good at hunting."

"And yet you are an Assassin," remarked Yack. I chuckled a little before I started to eat. I know of one Assassin that would've killed him for speaking those words.

"The killing of evil human beings and hunting of prey are two entirely different things."

They really weren't. Evil human being or small field mouse, both flee when a big, bad Assassin or wolf comes after them.

The others had a short conversation (it was all answering Yack's questions; I guess he was the newest one of their group) while I ate. I tried to be somewhere else while eating. I didn't really want to be there, but... it was food. Eventually, Yack asked me a question again, this time about "that phrase I say" before I leave Link.

The phrase I say is the very wisdom of the Assassins. It is self-contradictory; there is no wisdom anywhere. We are wise because we know that we are not wise. That is the power of our creed.

_"Nihil versus, omnia licita._ Why?"

"What does that mean?" he asked. I still did not like him very much, but even if I did, I couldn't tell him.

"I'm sorry, but I do not know how to say it in English."

Yack dropped the subject relatively quickly and went back to asking Navi other questions (Navi was getting annoyed, and it started to feel like that was all Yack wanted). I wasn't paying attention to any of it, so I'm not sure what he was talking about. I was thinking more about that man in the top hat, and why he calls me a hypocrite when I speak of Altaïr. I was not arrogant about my position in our ranks; I did not disobey our creed... how was I at fault?

I thought deeply of what his idea might be until I finished eating, and then I told Link to wait while I got his new armor.

It bothered me for a while, really, but I had to put it out of my mind long enough to give Link the new armor. When I got back to him, I was back to reality.

I dropped the vambraces and greaves in front of him, and worked the leggings and chestplate off my back.

"This is the _Assassin Lepidus._ It can better resist that which the _Assassin Novicius_ you wear now resists and also will not impede swimming. It can resist stronger melee strikes and is granted to Assassins of the two rank."

After they had a moment to examine the armor, Link took it and smiled. "Thank you, Canis."

I bowed to the best of my ability. "I will take the _Assassin Novicius_ back that I may remove evidence of its existance from the land."

"Why would you remove it?"

I smiled. "In honor of our creed. We work in the dark to serve the light. That means-"

The hero surprised me. He understood what I meant.

"-You work to ensure you are largely unknown. You serve the people but wish to remain a shadow."

I was very surprised, as a matter of fact. The boy knew how to listen closely, that's for sure. Once I acknowledged his statement, he changed behind a few bushes and trees, and then returned with the _Assassin Novicius._ Once he gave it to me, I revealed what I knew about the Sheikah from earlier.

"Before you go, you may want to know this: There is a Sheikah looking for you. Be cautious. The Sheikah along with most Royal Family members are Templars, and they will do anything to ruin the Assassin name."

"Maybe there is something I can do about this conflict?" he asked. I almost chuckled, but simply shook my head.

"You would have a better chance of killing Ganondorf from this forest with a single arrow."

"I have seen a Sheikah named Sheik. He informs me of dungeons, teaches me magical songs, and he... talks down to you."

"I thought as much. See me after you complete your next task. I may have new armor for you."

Link nodded to me, and I bowed the best I could.

"_Nihil versus, omnia licita. _We shall meet again, my friend."

With these words, I turned and ran off, prepared to destroy the _Assassin Novicius._

I cannot reveal what I do to remove armor from existence, because that could compromise the brotherhood. All I can say is that the armor is there one moment, and then it isn't. I couldn't leave it around for anyone to take, and I'm not going to collect it (I laugh at _Assassin Novicius,_ anyway).

Once I was through with the armor, I decided on taking a quick nap again before leaving. I'd be looking for more armor in another cache, but this time, I'd be up for a doppleganger that I'd never be able to respect.

End of Chapter

* * *

**4,564 words. Got sick, otherwise this would've been done last week.**

**Next chapter is about more armor and stuff. Also, 5 chapters left, including the next, and the trivia chapter.**


	4. Bang Bang You're Dead

**Chapter 3**

**Bang Bang You're Dead**

* * *

**"Venus is the planet most like Hell."**

**-Carl Sagan**

* * *

He was not far from my favorite watering hole, tending a campfire with no tent. Once more, he knew I was present without even looking up.

"'Nothing is true; everything is permitted'," he said. I blinked.

"Excuse me?"

He looked at me over his shoulder.

"This is the phrase you utter to the hero every time you leave, though you say it in another tongue. _Nihil verum, omnia licita._"

"_Nihil versus, omnia licita._"

"Yes, you'll have to forgive me. My latin is a bit rusty."

"Why are you telling me these things?" I asked.

"Just to remind you that I know everything about you. I heard one of his fairies asked you about it."

There was a pause. The man looked up at the sky for a moment while poking at his fire.

"I do feel badly for that fairy. He has skeletons just like you."

"Is that right?"

"Well, maybe not just like you. His lover and child were not killed while he was away."

My gaze changed to a glare almost immediately.

"Watch it. Speak ill of my wife or boy and you'll be tending that fire with your tongue."

"I had no intention of speaking ill of them, Canis. Just wondering about them."

There was another brief pause. He looked over his shoulder at me again. "How did you find out?"

"I learned in a letter shortly before..."

"...before you took another life?"

I said nothing. The strange man took to the fire once more.

"Do you have an answer for the question I left you with yet? I would love to hear it. Why didn't you continue your attack?"

This again! I did my best to hide my irritation, but my best wasn't so good as of late.

"I was too weak from my curse. If I couldn't defeat him as a human, there was no chance in this form."

"It was a matter of strength?"

"It was a matter of lack of strength. Give me a sword over a powerful jaw any day."

The strange man looked out at the landscape.

"That's not the right answer."

"Who are you?" I blurted out. The man stood up and started kicking dirt over the campfire.

"We'll discuss the correct answer another time. Farewell, Canis."

I watched him disappear into the woods for a few moments, and then sighed through my nostrils. In some ways, he reminded me of our former Mentor... Al Mualim. He spoke in circles; in riddles... but there was always an underlying meaning to what he said.

I wasn't sure this man had underlying meaning at all. It disturbed me that he knew so much of my life; of my past... and I knew not even his name. He certainly had some sort of power; some magic in him. The Lost Woods would reject anyone that wasn't a forest nymph, a permitted human, or an animal. The Great Deku Tree, the diety of the forest Kokiri was dead. Without him, no new average human enters these woods. That man certainly had some sort of power.

I was disturbed even further when I finally turned back to the watering hole, only to find the campfire the man was tending gone... gone as if it was never there.

I had to let it go, as I needed to stay focused for what I planned to do today. The next cache I decided to hit was in Hyrule Castle Town's remains. (There are many more than the ones I actually went after- some are known only by a handful of Assassins).

The next cache was down the remains of an alleyway in the dead town... and this town was swarming with redeads. I did not know if these redeads would ignore me like those guarding Assassin caches. The redeads in town were controlled by Ganondorf, and though I remained immortal, the thought of a corpse biting my neck made me nauseous.

Redeads aren't _actually_ corpses (most aren't; some used to be people that either tried to enter the Void, or are people that were killed by other redeads). Most are simply made by magic. Actually becoming a redead by bite is difficult (impossible for animals), because whatever turns you travels by bloodstream, and redeads usually never stop until all the blood is gone.

Even if they _do_ stop early, the curse is nothing a healing fairy or sacred object wouldn't fix.

Many fear redeads with good reason. They are almost never seen in Hyrule Field, and they are almost never "wild"- random wandering corpses. Nearly all redeads have some kind of mission, and those in the remains of Castle Town are there to kill any man that attempts to enter.

I was uncomfortable going to Castle Town for another reason, though. It was where our attempt on Ganondorf's life occurred. Back then, he was a "Thane" of Hyrule Castle Town. I didn't draw an ounce of hatred for the man from his "Thane" status; I hate all Thanes equally. All they are are people overeager to put their tongue to the ruler's boot.

He was a Thane of Castle Town (an ass kisser, basically). He swore allegiance to the Templar Crown (The Hylian Crown is Templar-Backed), but really, he just wanted to get close enough to the King to drive a knife in his back. During his time in Castle Town, my partners and I tried hard to force him to flee; to make him give up his dreams of power. I was a fool to give him a chance, but the chance at life was ordered by our former mentor, and so I had to go with it.

Of course, Ganondorf was too stubborn to give up without a fight. We torched his hotel rooms, left knives near his beds, beat those that supported him, and even poisoned the wine of his second in command (someone dropped the poisoned wine before she drank it, though. Nabooru's death would've shaken Ganondorf up for sure).

None of our attempts worked, so we attacked. The entire sword fight lasted for what felt like an eternity.

Deimos was killed by a swift counter-attack. He went to slice at the evil Gerudo's back, but the man whirled around quickly, blocked the attack, kicked his legs from under him, and drove his sword through his heart.

Sanford lasted a bit longer, and he often liked to attack with a metal hook attacked to a rope, pulling skin from his enemies.

He threw his hook, Ganondorf caught it, pulled him forward, and drove his sword through his throat.

In my final moments of battle, I used my hidden blade- a small concealed weapon on the wrist, after he knocked my sword from my grasp. My attack surprised him enough to make him drop _his_ weapon, and he caught my wrist as I tried to drive the blade into his neck.

What occurred was a battle of wills. I pushed down with all my might, and he pushed up with all his. I don't know how I succeeded, but I managed to cut him... however my aim was off. Had I been a little lower, I could've cut his neck and he would have bled out, but I was too high. Instead of killing him, I left him with a nasty scar on his cheek. It was after my failed attack that he cursed me and drove me out of town.

As I thought of our shortcomings, I walked into Castle Town, and it was a wreck. Every time you get too close to the former town, the sky darkens... and the closer you get to Ganondorf's Castle (the coward's castle is surrounded by lava and has no bridge), the darker the sky becomes. I did not understand just why Ganondorf wanted power so badly if he was only going to try and kill everybody. Who would he rule over, animals? Trees? The dead don't make good subjects.

As I wandered through town (staying low and out of sight), I scowled. Many buildings were boarded up, and they probably contained more redeads. Decorative trees that were beautiful seven years ago were now blackened hunks of wood with no signs of life. I was sure the only heartbeat in the town itself was my own. No spiders or rats even wanted homes here... but I was sure the cache I was after had some type of defense.

My irritation with Ganondorf only increased when I looked around and saw half-complete repairs to some buildings, and they looked recent. The brash fool ran everybody out of Castle Town and destroyed the buildings, and then some time later decided that having nobody nearby to torment was no fun. Seeing these 'renovations" only depressed me.

I was defeated by _this_ idiot.

I had to stop walking in the alleyway and I stood still. Not far ahead of me was a redead... and not far beyond it was the entrance to the weapons cache. In order to reach it, I'd have to deal with the redead... or I could go around and risk all the others.

I didn't want to risk several more (I'm not a fool), so I got as close to the redead as I could without being noticed... but unfortunately it moved its head slightly to acknowledge my presence when I was still out of striking distance. It wouldn't become hostile until I got close enough (redeads don't like moving around so much). I decided to weigh my options: I could try to run past the creature and risk being attacked (redeads let out an ear piercing scream when prey gets too close, and not only can that scream cause paralysis, it can also draw the attention of other redeads), I could engage it early and see if I couldn't kill it quickly, or I could leave and try to go around... and again, I had no intention of going back around.

It was for the Hero, I decided. There was no getting past without a fight, so I ran as quickly as I could into the redead, managing to knock it to one side. Before it managed to make a peep or even turn its head to look at me, I had it by the throat. With my teeth firmly in the creature's windpipe (it tasted disgusting), I shook it by the neck as hard as I could.

Once I was sure it was dead, I trotted up to the entrance to the cache, and I rammed my body into the door until it opened.

T.T

From your first day of training with the Assassins, you are told time and time again to never carry pictures of living family with you; never carry anything that can identify one you love... and never see the ones you love. Every Assassin makes many enemies, but by carrying nothing to identify your loved ones, your enemy has no leverage on you. That's the idea.

Very few Assassins employ this technique (Altaïr was the only Assassin I could think of that wouldn't carry pictures, jewlery, or even a quill that belonged to family or friends... but that's because most of Altaïr's family and friends hated him). I carried a picture of my wife that I had painted a year before my child was born. I thought she was safe overseas... but then Ganondorf killed her a year later, and now I can carry her picture with me and not worry.

I bring this rule up for a reason- you want leverage on your enemy, you don't want your enemy to have leverage on you. When I started wandering the halls, I was attacked by the doppleganger for the first time. It vanished too quickly for me to see who it was.

The attack left a nasty gash on my rear left leg, but I ignored it and kept moving. As I walked, I kept an eye out for hostiles, but the floor kept fascinating me.

This particular weapons cache had a few footprints in the sand all over the floor. These prints were very old; probably from seven years ago during the attack. No weather reached this cache (it hasn't rained in Castle Town since that day seven years ago, so no water leaks in), and so these prints would stay in the sand indefinitely.

I took this as a mark on history (the thought amused me). Here were the footprints of a few Assassins, their names forgotten but that they walked here not. My paws would now be beside them. My name might one day be forgotten, but if rain never falls again, that I was here would not be.

I tried to keep a lookout for my attacker, but all was silent for a few moments. I continued following the sandy corridor, alert to any sounds and any traps.

It was good I was focusing again, because I managed to look up and dive to one side a moment before a steel mace would've swung from the ceiling into my skull. Keep in mind that I am a wolf, and once I shook off the close call, I began to wonder... if that trap nearly took my head off, where was it exactly meant to hit a human male?

For one of the first times, I thanked Ganondorf's curse (I thanked it once before when it allowed me to scratch a spot I was never able to reach as a human).

Again I was struck from behind (this time, the attack sent me rolling to one side, but didn't break my skin). I righted myself as fast as I could, but whoever was attacking me seemed to know my every move before I made it. One of my weaknesses was that I could become predictable. If this enemy has been watching me somehow, then how I handle myself in defense could be compromised. It's not leverage on family, but it's leverage born of my own foolish mistakes. Everybody ignores a few things the Assassins teach, and I ignored one of the more important things.

I'm predictable. I don't vary my attacks so much. If this unseen enemy knew exactly how to hit me and escape before I could notice him, then there's a problem.

Dopplegangers take after their originals in skill and memory. I felt like I knew whoever this was, and I had a bad feeling.

I didn't let my bad feeling get in the way of my search, though. We'd get nothing done if we stopped whenever we felt uncomfortable. Sometimes you have to tough it out.

Still, brash actions don't make brave men. Smart thinking makes a brave man, or in this case, beast. I thought of how one of my brothers would act in this situation, and I did as I thought he would do. Where I would focus my attention ahead of me, this brother (who shall remain anonymous) focused before him and behind him with two senses- One sense was employed to guide him forth, and another (hearing) was focused on unusual sounds- not the sound of his own feet pattering through the sand.

So, when the doppleganger tried to strike me for the third time, I was able to actually hear his approach. Again, I ignored what I would usually do (dive to the side), and I whirled my body around violently, managing to counter the attack and make my attacker recoil.

I was facing him in a second, and I faltered for a moment at the sight of my former mentor- the betrayer of the Assassins.

"Al Mualim!" I tried to say, but all that escaped my jaws was a bark. The doppleganger said nothing back to me (most dopplegangers have no voice), and vanished. I did not defeat him; he just knew he was found and attacking me now wouldn't work. It was typical Al Mualim. When he fought Altaïr (The story gets around), he kept trying to get the drop on him- he tried to distract him, tried to bind him, tried to disarm him, and tried to sneak up on him. Assassins are not trained to fight fair; they are trained to win. However, it is difficult to have that saying used against you and not be annoyed.

I didn't have to wander far before I was in the armory itself, and it was there that Al Mualim's statue resided. The head of the statue was gone, and I don't know if it was from man or weather. Either way, he did not deserve a likeness here.

I heard quick steps behind me and thought quickly again. Rather than do as I did previously, I did as I typically did- I dove to the side. When I got through the attack unharmed and even managed a quick scrape on the doppleganger's side, I knew that it would be just as much a psychological battle as it would be a battle of physical capabilities.

Al Mualim did not try to escape again. This time, he stayed to fight. The man was known for his quick, accurate slices in open battle, and he was a quick thinker. If this doppleganger was anywhere near what Al Mualim was in strength, he would do everything in his power to win this fight.

I was severely limited in this battle, considering I was now a beast and only had so many ways to attack my enemy. I could very easily be put on the defensive, but that didn't mean I was entirely helpless. I had a few ways in mind to counterattack.

For a few minutes, all we did was circle one another. We stared each other down, each trying to calculate the other's mindset. One of us would have to break the silence soon, so I decided to try and coax him into attacking me.

I never stopped circling, but I started trotting along even faster, making it seem like I was going on the attack. I feigned charging in at Al Mualim and he began to charge in to meet me, but quickly realized his mistake and stopped.

As he slowed himself in an attempt to correct his mistake, I made a mistake myself. I charged him, trying to hurt him again, and he swiftly countered- he pivoted to one side and his blade met my right side as I passed. The only blood that hit the floor yet was my own, but this was not the end.

Al Mualim tried to get another swift attack in before I could right myself, but as he got closer, I whirled my body around as fast as I could, managing to knock his sword out of his grip, at the cost of another wound to my side. He didn't bother going after his weapon, and I saw a blade on his wrist. He expected me to lunge at him, but I had another idea.

Rather than run towards him, I ran to his sword- _away_ from him. He retracted the hidden blade and cautiously closed the gap I made. I picked up his sword with my jaws and hurled it at him, intending only to make him recoil.

I succeeded, and before he could right himself, I through my body into his. My jaws snapped down on his neck, and in a moment it would be over...

...but there was a sharp pain in _my _neck. My eyes widened and I rolled them a bit to see which had stabbed me- his sword or his hidden blade. My grip on his neck weakened and I was unable to kill him.

He ripped his blade out of my neck and kicked me off of his body. I was greatly weakened by the injuries (that my bleeding did not stop yet bothered me), and so when I hit the floor I was motionless. Al Mualim picked up his sword and approached my still form, and he drove his blade through my chest.

I thought I would die from the wound, but Ganondorf's curse remained. I reasoned that I was still bleeding because it was weakening, but I was not dead because it was still present. Even so, I played dead (I even held my breath for good measure).

The doppleganger turned away from my body and started walking towards the statue (I assume that would be where it returns if it defeats a threat). Once I was sure it could not hear me, I slowly stood up and silently closed the distance between us. I had to be swift and silent- if I was too slow, Al Mualim would make it to the statue, and then probably figure out that I wasn't dead. If I was too swift, he would hear me and the battle would continue.

When I got close enough, I leapt from behind, latched onto his neck, and squeezed tight until the struggling stopped.

As I said, I'm not trained to fight fair. Once I was sure he was dead, I released him.

"If only the metallic taste in my mouth was that of the original," I said as the doppleganger vanished. My wounds throbbed and continued to bleed; my body was weak, but I had to proceed. I looked around the armory for better armor, and I was not disappointed.

The dark armor I found was _Assassin Quies_, for Assassins of the seven rank. In Hyrule, the armor comes with a protective collar, useful against Redeads and other such monsters. The armor is not indestructable, but it makes _Assassin Lepidus_ look like clay. I gathered the pieces of armor and proceeded to the exit. The whole time I wandered the catacombs, I only felt weaker and weaker. My wounds remained; with my curse at full strength, they would be long gone by now.

Simply walking became a chore, but I could not pass out in the catacombs (I could only hope I'd find myself in the field if I were to faint. There's something about an unconscious being that redeads find fascinating).

The exit from the catacombs took longer to reach because, thankfully, it was outside Castle Town. I imagine it was constructed in such a way so the odds of a cache being compromised was lessened. Many entryways with the Assassin Symbol on it dot the landscape, but only so many actually lead to caches. Others are just decoys. If you run into so many decorations, why suspect any other?

When I finally found my way out of the catacombs, several hours had passed. At this point, my weakness only got greater, and I desperately needed to rest. However, I was walking on in almost a trance. If I was all there, I would've known to stay low and silent as I left Kakariko Village (the cache exited through the graveyard). However, I wasn't in the frame of mind to make the best decisions, and so I started wandering the village with little to no concern for who was around me. Very few were out now, but those that saw me put as much distance between themselves and I as possible. As I walked through the village, I found myself sinking lower and lower to the ground. My injuries combined with wandering catacombs carrying armor I was not meant to wear took it out of me.

I fought it with all I had, but it was no use. I couldn't go any further without stopping to rest. I fell onto my side and lost consciousness relatively quickly.

M.M

I wasn't sure how long I was asleep for. My weakness was gone, and I was back to my full strength (albeit very dizzy from my fainting spell). I wasn't carrying the armor anymore and I surrounded by hay. I was in a barn or something, and I was bound to the wall by a chain attached to my left front paw. My wounds were bandaged (they were fading when I passed out, and were likely gone by now). The armor I'd fought so hard for was missing. For a moment I thought I had been robbed, and now whoever was robbing me was trying to domesticate me.

There were no horses in this barn (it wasn't the type), and... no animals at all, really. I imagined that the owner took all the animals out in case I woke up hungry. I wake up hungry very often, and though I wouldn't harm a farm owner's animals (as if I could), I understood the concern.

I didn't bother fighting the chain on my paw because I'm not an idiot. What, was I going to chew through it? At the moment I was immortal, but I was certainly far from super-strength. (If I had super-strength, I would've done a lot more than leave Ganondorf with a scar on his cheek).

I was waiting for another 45 minutes in the barn on my side (I was enjoying what comfort I actually had), but I was getting restless. I didn't know if the Hero was done with his errand yet (it turned out he wasn't even close), I wanted to know where the armor went, and I wanted to get back to the woods. Every so often I would tug gently at the chain to check for signs of metal fatigue, but other than that I was still.

When she finally walked in, I recognized her almost immediately. Her name was Anju. She was my wife's neighbor's daughter almost twenty years ago. She looked to be in her mid-20's now. Though she put up a brave front, I could smell the fear on her person. I wondered what made her bother to help me for a moment, but I figured out that she had a love for animals once I caught her scent.

She had a lot of cuckoos, and an allergy to them as well... but she wouldn't let them go. I don't know how she got them out of this barn I was now in, but... she did.

When she was sure I wasn't going to attack her, she got a bit closer (not close enough for me to hurt her, which I wouldn't, and not close enough for her to pet me, which she would). She smiled gently and put her hands on her knees.

"Hi," she said softly. I blinked in response. She took my silence as a sign to proceed and kept speaking.

"How are you feeling, boy? You're certainly a fighter... those wounds weren't looking good."

She took a step closer and kept smiling, every so often breaking eye contact with me (many beasts consider constant eye-contact a challenge).

"Those wounds should have killed you."

I didn't offer much in response. I simply layed still, as I thought she would expect me to. She got a little closer, but still made sure there was distance between us.

I don't blame her. There are stories on both sides of the spectrum in regards to wolves. On one hand, they are portrayed as mindless killers that want only food and death, and on the other hand, people think they are big puppy dogs that would sooner run up and lick their faces than attack them. Neither of these depictions are accurate. A wolf won't attack a man unless hunger has it absolutely insane, and it won't show affection for a human unless it sees that human often enough to know it isn't a threat.

Still, the stories dwarf the truth. She saw me as a killing machine (I technically was trained as one; making people dead was one of the things I did best)... and yet her love for animals clouded her better judgement, and for whatever reason, she decided on aiding me.

"Sam, our guard, wanted me to let him finish you. He doubted that you would survive... but your wounds weren't bleeding much, so I thought that if you survived the initial attacks, you'd have a chance."

Well, I'll be... Finley is still alive. He was a double agent the Assassins planted in the Templars in Hyrule, and a friend of mine. His alias was Sam Axe (I guess he stuck to it), but his real name is Chuck Finley. He saved my life more than once... and today, yesterday, last Tuesday... whenever I passed out, he wanted to end it.

She saw the look on my face change at the mention of my old friend, but she misinterpreted it.  
"Don't worry, I talked him out of it, but he insisted on the chain. Sorry, boy."

I didn't offer much else in response. Instead, my eyes wandered to the now open barn door, and I could see my armor organized neatly by some bloody rags. I loosened up, relieved that my hard work wasn't gone. Anju glanced over her shoulder at what I was looking at, and then she looked back at me.

"You're a strange beast... carrying the armor of a man, intelligence in your eyes, enduring a wound to your very heart... you know who you are, don't you?"

My eyes wandered to her, and she continued.

"Most wild beasts are not conscious; only the brightest are. Most are puppets of nature, but looking at you, I can see otherwise."

There was another pause, and now I was aware of her hand rubbing my side.

"You're on a mission, aren't you? Why else carry the armor of a man? Instinct doesn't demand such action. You're on a mission, and be it of God's command, of an experience with death, or your own volition, you want to do something."

I was silently agreeing by letting her rub my side. It was starting to feel nice, and I had to resist my urge to roll onto my back.

"I was going to keep you here as the town pet, but... I won't keep you any longer than I have to. As soon as you can stand again, I'll set you free."

I let her take my paw in her hand and she unlocked the chain that bound me. I didn't get up (I was still woozy from passing out).

"I'm going to run inside and get something so I can change your bandages, and then I'll give you a bite to eat and you can leave. Sam doesn't know, so mum's the word!"

I brought my head up and licked her hand in response.

With that, she left the barn and went inside to get food and bandages. I didn't feel my wounds anymore, so I figured them to be gone. She was reasonably surprised once my mortal injuries were gone beneath the old bandages. It was as if I was never hurt in the first place. She looked at my face and then back at my body, but chose not to say anything. I was already a strange animal- wolves, beyond all characterizations, are wild beasts. A wolf won't attack a man unless hunger has it crazy, but that's not to say it won't attack anybody that walks up close and sticks a hand out. She probably understood that I was unique among animals as it was, and so my remarkable healing abilities should go un-questioned.

Either that, or she figured that asking me why my wounds disappeared would yield no response.

She gave me a piece of steak (another piece of meat in less than a month? I'm being spoiled), and unlocked my shackle before backing up a little, in case I was some evil monster waiting to be freed.

I showed her I wasn't by stepping forward and eating the meat. She left me to it, and left the barn door ajar for me to exit. While she left, I eyed her; watched where she walked and what house she currently lived in. Once I was done, I'd gather some flowers and leave them at her porch as my way of saying thank you.

I thought it would be cute if she mistook the flowers on her doorstep as a gift from Chuck, but the pawprints in the dirt road away from her door and out of town would disprove such a theory.

With new found energy I ran with armor in tow, and I made it back to the forest in better time than I could've hoped for in my injured state. The hero would likely be finishing up his errands now, or at least be getting close (the boy usually shows up with one or two new weapons or other devices, but he doesn't go crazy so I know he isn't big on looting).

Life returned to my eyes when I got back into the woods. My injuries were gone, my trip was successful, and I had a full belly.

I had 99 problems, but hunger was not one of them.

End of Chapter

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**5,486 words.**

**Sorry for the delay. I've been reading five several-hundred page novels for summer school, each over the span of a few days- I've read Rabbit, Run, An Arsonist's Guide to Writers Homes in New England, The Crying of Lot 49, Erasure, and now I'm working on Blood Meridian. The second and fourth novels are pretty good, the first wasn't great, and the third and fifth suck in every way, shape, and form.**

**I am almost done with the first of two summer sessions. Next I will be going back for Algebra II. Expect delays on updates, and tonight we'll be looking at an 80% chance of rain. Tune in later for our five-day forecast.**

**Next chapter is covering the armor to the Spirit Temple- one of my favorites in Ocarina of Time.**


	5. Mia Tuk

**Chapter 4**

**Mia Tuk**

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**"The fastest way to find your sergeant is to go to sleep."**

**-Anonymous**

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I left the Hero full of anger. The wolf in me was offended by something he said, and feeling its anger, I was offended, too. I shouted at the Hero, but my anger lasted only a moment, after which I returned to my senses, excused myself, and apologized. I was angry now; not at the Hero (he only suggested my visiting that ranch so I could be fed), but at myself for my lack of control.

Needless to say, my anger wasn't soothed when I saw that man at my watering hole _again._ This time, he was simply staring out at the water. I kept distance between us because I didn't know how many of his riddles I could take.

"Hello, Canis. How are your wounds?"

"My wounds are fine. My head aches. Leave, and a miracle may occur."

"Well, I thought that you would be satisfied with defeating the doppleganger Al Mualim. He was tricky, wasn't he?"

"That's not your business."

"No, only the lives of damaged goods are my business. Much like the lives of those you considered cruel were _your_ business, am I right?"

"Mind your tongue."

"I admire you, Canis. I really do. I hope my boy grows up to be just like you."

I stared.

"You want your boy to grow up to be a wolf?"

"You understand my meaning," he responded in more of a statement than an inquiry. There was a pause, and then he continued.

"How did it feel to defeat the doppleganger? Was it realistic?"

"It felt like I fought the real Al Mualim."

"Elaborate."

"It was just a battle. It was devoid of feeling."

"Interesting."

I stared. I didn't want to know what he thought was interesting, but he was going to tell me anyway.

"You want Ganondorf dead, don't you?"

"I want to be the one that kills him, but I cannot as long as he lives in that damned castle."

"What makes you think the death of Ganondorf will feel any better?"

I was silent.

"His death won't bring your wife and child back, Canis."

"No."

"She saw the Lost Woods on the horizon. She spurred her horse to gallop."

"No."

"Ganondorf did not drive a sword through their hearts. Yes, he shot her in the back, but she lost her humanity of her own accord."

"_Be silent!"_ I roared. He was silent for a moment, and then he looked over his shoulder at me.

"What do you plan for your future?"

My future? Wolves only life for around 7 years. I'm 7 years old (in wolf years; human years I'm 40).

"I have no future," I said lowly, still angered by the man. He did not pry on that matter any further, and asked me to tell him about Al Mualim.

"He was a smart man blinded by greed. Many looked up to him. He rarely gave orders, but it may have been his passive-aggressive rule that allowed him to cause so much damage."

I looked at the man. "Even now, there are Assassins in Masyaf that side with him. I heard whispers in past wanderings of civil turmoil among my brothers."

"Explain his rule. How did that cause damage?"

"He upheld rule, but would never raise his voice and was not strict with mild offenses. I believe these characeristics may have contributed to the idea that he wouldn't harm the Assassins."

"He tricked not just the Assassins. Nearly all those that end lives heard of his treachery and were surprised."

"So, what are you? A murderer? Stalker? Demon?"

He simply turned and started walking away again. "I am all of these things. See you later, Canis."

With that, he disappeared into the woods again. I wondered if the Hero ever encountered that man, but I did not intend to ask him. A man that I don't feel I've ever met knows everything about me? A man that can enter and leave the Lost Woods of his own accord? A man that appears and disappears, knows all and knows nothing? He's a ghost story, as I am a horror story.

I took a long drink from the watering hole before thinking of places to find more armor. After several minutes, I thought of one nearby. The entrance was by a tree not far from the ranch Link wanted me to visit, and the exit was not much further (it let out by way of a water draining ditch). If I remembered, or was otherwise up to it, I would stop by the ranch and look for the red headed girl, Malon.

I smiled to myself inwardly (I haven't had genuine smiles since I learned of my wife and boy's death. Since I met Link, I've had a few). It was difficult to detect (the Hero has a way of hiding meaning; and he does it very well), but I could tell that he had feelings for the farm girl. I wondered if he spoke to her yet, but it was not my business.

Again I took off into the fields intent on finding armor. The cache near the ranch was old; built before the ranch itself was. I had a good feeling about the cache, since Assassins shy away from innocents. The ranch was built such that anyone nosy enough could see what went on (the other caches were designed to be difficult to note), and to throw caution to the wind would violate a tenet of the Assassin's Creed.

As I ran I saw a family trying to have a picnic not far from the river. The attempt at normality wasn't working too well. Ganondorf sent several Keese to irritate them. They weren't sent for blood; if they wanted to, they could've killed that family easily. Ganondorf just wanted to remind them that he knows what they're doing.

He likely was curious as to what I was doing by now, too... but Link's continued assault on all his holds was the primary threat, and it was easier to send a few Keese to annoy a family than it would be to send several scouts and an assault squad to figure out what _I_ was up to.

As I passed (one child pointed at me and shouted "Hi, puppy", and another threw a rock at me), I wondered why the family decided to vacation in the middle of the field, and not at the Ranch. The ranch girl is very sweet to everybody- some people are prejudiced against Zoras, Gorons, and Gerudo, but the girl saw everybody equally. Why avoid that kindness when it's so rare in the world?

Maybe it was a proud family, one that would not ask for shelter, however briefly. If mine were still alive, I wondered what a picnic would be like for my wife and child. I'd either not be there, or I would be there sifting through files of someone I was sent to kill. And if I threw the rock at a wolf, I would not have missed. I grew up throwing rocks, and when I came of age, throwing rocks turned into shooting arrows (I hate archery), and when that didn't work out, shooting arrows turned into throwing knives.

These thoughts of my past and that family brought me into the ranch. I was so deep in thought that I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I went to turn about and look for the cache, but the girl walked out of a barn, saw me, and after a moment of surprise, a look of recognition washed over her face and she smiled.

"Hi, boy! You must be Link's friend, right?"

I nodded my head sheepishly. I shouted at the Hero for suggesting I go here for food, and now here I was. Mistake or not, it was embarassing.

I wasn't going to risk insulting this young woman by turning tail and running away. Rather, I trotted towards her, slow enough to not be a threat, but quick enough to show her I was the friend the Hero mentioned.

Once I was up to her, she knelt to my height and started looking my body over head to tail- starting with vision, and ending with feeling. She felt the bones poking into my skin, my once brilliant coat now dull and losing its exotic colors (that was to be expected with my age). She smiled all the while she inspected me, though I could practically smell horror coming off her person. I _was_ very malnourished.

I knew I was right about my assumption when she said "Okay, you'll do", and got together food and water for me right away. She was afraid that I'd die of starvation midway through ranchwork, though aside from the lack of fat, water, humanity, and otherwise happiness, I was perfectly healthy.

She gave me two slices of raw meat with as much fat as she could find, thinking that would somehow fix me up right away (I tried not to become too accustomed to these regular meals). I ate them as maturely as possible (my parents always frowned on gorging, because it suggests an inability to care for oneself and otherwise weakness), however, since I actually _was_ unable to care for myself and was otherwise weak, the attempt at seeming strong seemed sort of circular and otherwise self-defeated.

Once I was done, she offered to get more steak, but I bit down on her dress as a response, she smiled, and took the dishes inside.

When she came back out, she had a harness for me to wear, and she led me to a small wagon with a few sacks of rice in them.

"I know you're a very busy beast," she said, setting the harness around my chest to my private area. "I've seen you wandering the fields alone, and then a few hours later carrying body armor, so this will be all I'll ask today: please help me take these sacks of rice to the silo. I'd do it with the horses, but there's not so many that I'd need them, but not so few that I can do it alone."

I stopped myself from licking her cheek in response (there are only so many ways a canine can show affection without being threatening, and I didn't want to lick her if I'd just eaten), so I opted to push my head against her in response. I felt sort of stupid doing it, but outside the Lost Woods and too far from the Time Temple, I don't have the human tongue.

I did what she asked, and while I did, she talked to me about her father, about the other ranch hand (I had the displeasure of meeting him with my wife while she was pregnant, and my left fist is the reason his nose is so deformed), but most of all, she talked about Link. She talked about how he met her, how she told him how to get to Hyrule Castle without being killed by archers, how he saved the ranch on a bet... how much she cared about him. I felt a little irritation towards the boy himself, since the most I got out of him about the cute ranchgirl was the suggestion to visit her. Still, I know he held the same affection for her, but love had to wait until everything was done with.

Still, I had to have a chat with him next I got the chance about love. Love is a great thing, sure, but really all anybody wants is to be able to stop saying stupid things about love. The sooner I got to tell the hero what I've learned about it in my life, the sooner he could ignore ideas like "all you need is love", as Navi might say, or "I don't know, ask Navi", as Yack would probably say.

I listened to her carefully as I did the chores she asked of me, and we were done in an hour- plenty of time for me to get what I needed from the Cache. It was forcibly designed smaller than most- it's a hallway and then the armor and weapons. If it was made too large, it would either interfere with the cache by Kakariko, the one by Castle Town, or it may hit an underground lake stemming from Lake Hylia. If the architect at the time was a little more cautious, these issues would have been avoided, but I'd have a longer journey. I think he was hanged for making such a mistake and lost his job... or he lost his job and got hanged for making a mistake... I don't know.

Neither of us even broke a sweat doing this job (I was becoming stronger after running around and fighting so much, and the ranchgirl was likely busy so much that moving some rice was very easy), but when it was done, we both acted tired as if to tell the other "couldn't have done it without you", and then she smiled, patted my head, and knelt to my height again, unfastening the harness.

"Now, whatever you're doing next, be careful. I know you didn't come all the way out here just for food and to help me."

I smiled the best I could and trotted off. I liked Malon. She was very smart- she liked to talk about more than cows and chickens every now and again.

I thought of her more than what armor I might find in the cache. No, I wasn't romantically interested in a young woman- I'm a 7 year old wolf, but a 40 year old man, and I still love my wife. I'm considered by wild dogs and many other sorts of animals to be a beast stuck in the past, but I don't care what they say or think. Anyone that tries to confront me with these suggestions meets my teeth. At least, their minds do. _Mia Tuk._ This is the name I am referred to by the Kokiri when they see me- White Fang. Once more I track irony to my cursed form. I have the tools to be an excellent killer (I really haven't changed much), but I cannot use them (in that way, I have).

When I came to again, I was in the cache, after uncovering the entry that was covered by dirt. Bashing through the door earned me a fall and tumble down into the cache, but it had to be done. I wasn't getting in any other way.

Sure enough, I was in the hallway as I expected to be. The walls were lined with rusted spikes, and the very ends had gears, suggesting that at one point, these walls were meant to close and kill anyone within, but water must've gotten into the gears and rusted them. I could hear them straining slightly, but the walls were motionless. It didn't stop me from running through the hallway fastly, though. I didn't want to be in the way should the rust give way.

Marcus Junius Brutus was the man that helped assassinate Julius Caesar in B.C 44. The assassination was the source of a famous line, said to be uttered by the deceased- "E tu, Brute?" Some say Brutus was deeply regretful of the death of Caesar; some say Caesar was his friend, but that is not the case.

An Assassin does not make friends with an asset or a target. The source of much debate lies in which Caesar might have been.

I bring up Brutus because of the doppleganger presiding over this small cache- the doppleganger of a well-known legendary Assassin. Brutus does not guard over his own armor to my knowledge- _his_ own armor is actually hidden somewhere in Italia, but in the interest of secrecy I will say no more. Because of his outstanding work both well known and not, Brutus climbed the ranks of the Assassins and has a name feared nearly as much as the greatest Assassin of all time, Achilles.

The moment I saw the likeness of Brutus in the room with the armor, I knew that what the Cache lacked in size, it more than made up for in security. This was going to be a very difficult battle- it would make mine with Al Mualim look like a shouting match. I had a good feeling as to who was going to end up more bloodied, and I hoped I didn't make a habit of passing out in Kakariko Village.

However, the armor here was too good to pass up. This Cache was nearly untouched. I saw some of the best armor the Assassins can offer- _Assassin Magistro_. It is lightweight, defensive against all but the strongest attacks, nearly impenetrable by ranged attacks, and it can even laugh off a battleaxe. However, just because the armor isn't shattered doesn't mean a person wouldn't be. There are two parts to proper use of Assassin armor- the quality of the armor itself, and how one reacts to being hit. Once again, I can't divulge the secrets of proper use of Assassin Armor, but I can say that it is unorthodox and may be considered stupid. The method is stupid, yes, but effective. When done correctly, I've not seen someone wearing _Assassin Magistro_ become seriously injured when struck even by a battleaxe.

I couldn't leave this treasure behind. It would aid the Hero greatly in the upcoming battle against Ganondorf. I knew that Brutus wouldn't give it up easily, though, so I prepared for a fight, and a fight was what I got.

I remember for the first half of the fight, I knew nothing but pain. Brutus' attacks were cold, calculated, precise, accurate, _deadly_ for one of mortality. He had me faint in the middle of our battle for a brief period, but I stirred quickly and was back in the game. Brutus himself hesitated when he saw me struggle to my feet again. After the beating I had received, he wondered why I was still alive.

The would-be slaughter continued for another several minutes before the doppleganger grew fatigued, and I had my chance. It was then that I managed to turn the tables for a few minutes. However, the doppleganger had a second-wind and suddenly I found myself on the receiving end of a beating again.

There was one wolf called the "Fighting Wolf", and it was rumored that there was no animal that could knock him off his feet. It simply could not be done. The only way he would go down would be if he himself caused it. I heard that this wolf _never_ went down. Not once in his life. Never.

I'd been sent all across the cache like a rag doll, skipping across the dirt floor as if I were a stone on water. I was obviously a far cry from this wolf, and no match for the shadow of Marcus Junius Brutus.

As I said in the past, Assassins are trained to win, not fight fair. If a retreat is mandatory, you don't look back. You can lick your wounds if you manage to escape.

I wanted the armor desperately, though. I made a point of using the beating I was receiving from Brutus to knock the armor I wanted off its pedestal, piece by piece- in the last half of our battle, Brutus found little need for his weapons and took to bashing me all over the place using his gauntlets. He even threw me a few times, though he was still based off a human and I didn't make it as far as when he ran at me and sent me into the air.

After several attempts at throwing the life out of me, the armor I desired was all on the ground. I played dead for a moment, wanting Brutus to investigate, and that he did. He slowly approached my still body with a small dagger drawn- the doppleganger of the dagger that the real Brutus stabbed Caesar with. When he got close enough, I came to life, knocking him backwards onto the ground.

His weapon fell from his grip, but I knew he had a backup plan and I knew I wasn't going to beat him. As quickly as I could, I gathered all the armor I could, and I even took his dagger. As he got up again and drew his sword, I was already sprinting out through the exit. The doppleganger of a Cache cannot leave the Cache. I was safe, though it was by luck.

I was defeated by Marcus Junius Brutus, and I smiled as I ran, now in the fields with the sun behind me. Victory or not, it was an honor to face Brutus' shadow in combat. I felt good that I went up against him, and didn't faint on the way back to the woods.

When I ran through the woods, I heard some Kokiri call "Mia Tuk" and others offer me food, but I was still full from the Ranch. I made a mental note that I should thank the Hero when I saw him next, and then tell him all about the armor I got him, and that "all you need is love" is a false statement. (All you need is food and water).

I frowned to myself. The mission was successful, yes. I got what I wanted, though I was not able to beat Brutus... but I still stuck to traditions. I could not give this armor to Link unless he agreed to become an Assassin.

If he did, he'd have more stress on his life. There is no standing Order in Hyrule. He'd have to form it himself. I wondered how he might respond to my request, but I felt he would make a good Assassin. Ganondorf, though he would never admit it and would kill any who said it aloud, was afraid of Link's power. He feared the boy. I know that Link is also being spoken to and assisted by the Templars, and of course the two enemies have to make a contest of this, too: Who would gain the pride of having the Hero of the Time in their ranks: the Knights Templar, or the Order of Assassins? Maybe he would snap and say no to both of us?

I had to try. I knew that much. Needless to say, while I waited, I rehearsed just how exactly I was going to bring up my suggestion.

I dozed off while thinking, but after a few hours heard the song I taught the hero... sort of half-played. My sensitive hearing caught the sound of a body collapsing. I uncertainly ran to the source of the sound.

It was then that I saw an unconscious Link with two fairies in hysterics.

My question would have to wait.

End of Chapter

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**Only 3,833 words. I thought I had more than that.**

**I'm done with Contemporary Literature, so I don't have to read five novels anymore. However, now I'm taking Algebra II for three hours a night, four nights a week. **

**I think there's two more chapters left in this shortie without trivia. **

**I was originally considering having Canis beat Brutus' doppleganger in a fight, but I didn't think that would work out so well. If he could kill a legendary Assassin, why can't he hunt to sustain himself? So, I had him run away from the fight.**

**Next chapter covers the last armor Canis finds for Link- the armor to protect him in Ganondorf's Castle.**


	6. Rising Stars

**Chapter 5**

**Rising Stars**

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**"They couldn't hit an elephant at this dist-"**

**-General John Sedgwick's last words, uttered during a U.S Civil War Battle**

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I ended up staying by Link's unconscious form all throughout that night. He'd just returned from the Void. The Void. That which changes even the purest of souls. The ultimate punishment. The one prison that was not escapable for convicts. The very place that even Ganondorf cannot totally turn upside down. This is where Link was.

And now he was unconscious. I curled around him as best as I could to keep him warm, to watch over him, and to protect his defenseless form (and those of his fairies) as well as I could from any straggling dangers in the forest.

I was keeping my eye on him, too. There is a legend that says when the living enters the Void, the being comes back changed. It comes back, maybe as that which it entered as... but after a few hours pass, that being deteriorates into an undead- a stalchild, a Stalfos, a Redead... sometimes even a Vampire.

I was keeping my eyes on Link as well. I was waiting to look down and see a Redead struggling to stand. However, as the night passed, Link was unchanged. I assumed it was his blessed sword that was responsible for his immunity. Even the Void cannot blot out the light of the Master Sword.

I spoke to Yack for a little while before he went to sleep (he and Navi chose to sleep on my side, which I didn't mind), and we spoke about Link, about love, about the future... and a little of my future as well.

I knew what was to come. Some spend all their lives hiding from it. Others try to delay it when it comes. Others still say "I had a good run" and embrace it.

I mean the darkness. Death. Dying. Once I gave it a bit of thought, I started wondering if Ganondorf's curse of immortality on me was his own underlying fear of death. I don't wish to be immortal. I don't wish to be undead. I just want to rest.

I know that life would not be normal for me, even in the best case scenario where I was wrong about the curse, and if Link broke it, I returned to my true self and lived out my life. In that case, I wouldn't be happy, but I wouldn't be suicidal. I would likely return to my home in Kakariko (long since abandoned, I think), and live out the rest of my days. Alone. Isolated.

I would wander the house, look in the rooms where my wife packed things in a hurry. I would look in the baby room at the mess she likely made while trying to get out. I would go to the hitching post, where the horse she tried to escape on was.

I would repeat these rounds every day. I would consider how it would have turned out if I was home. Rather than my wife packing in a hurry, she was locked in our room. Rather than the baby's room being overthrown, it was neat, with the baby hidden with her. Rather than a missing horse, Ganondorf would be bleeding out for daring to try to hurt my family.

That's how it should have been. Perhaps if I had been the Hero of the Time, it would have been so.

...but I'm not the Hero of the Time. I am Canis, the cursed wolf of the Lost Woods.

These thoughts are why I would stare death in the face and embrace it. Whether I am granted eternal paradise, eternal damnation, or cessation of existence, I would be satisfied knowing that justice was served in the end.

I did not sleep that night. I kept considering my own demise, or the demise of my curse. Link... he knows and he does not know. He is ignorant like a child, and yet he is aware of the situation. He is in denial of my fate. I've seen it in his eyes.

I will not confront him about this issue. If he wishes to keep thinking that his actions will save my life, so be it. As long as Ganondorf is ended. I don't want to say anything that might make him waste time trying to find another move, when there's only one left on the chess board.

Ganondorf must die. That's all there is to it. There is no way to take him to a dungeon; there's no court to try him. The only way to return this land to normal is to send him from it in a box. Link would have to find a way to cross the pit of lava into Ganondorf's Castle to get to him. As menacing as he tries to make himself out to be, Ganondorf is a known coward and will not respond to most challenges. This has become more apparent as Link ripped apart his influence. Sure, in the past he'd _have_ to fight every so often to show he is still mighty. Now, he fears leaving his castle, constantly wondering if the hero is waiting with an arrow nocked.

I wouldn't be surprised if he just sat inside, wondering. His lack of responses in the past are as deadly to him as our lack of responses to he was. Where we (Sanford, Deimos and I) could have defeated him easily eighteen years ago, and could have a chance at killing him up to about seven years ago, we did not act. Likewise, where Ganondorf could have squashed the Hero's rebellions easily seven years ago, he was too concerned with consolidating power. He could have defeated the Hero the moment he left the Temple of Time, but now he has little to no chance of success.

I was never much of a believer up until that moment. It was there that I gave up my conviction that there is nothing after death. The legend of a Goddess-chosen hero defeating the blunder of another Goddess is simply too close to reality to be a coincidence. I saw Link before as the Hero of the Time, sure, but I did not see him as the Hero blessed by Farore. I saw him as someone with very good skills with a blade, and I saw him as someone with a very good blade. I knew there was magic to it, sure, but... magic is not synonymous with divinity.

Now I saw him as was meant: The Hero of the Time, the bearer of the Courage Goddess' blessing. For the first time in my life I actually felt hope that I'd continue to exist beyond my passing. I don't mean to say that from that moment on, I thanked the goddesses for my heartbeat, and I don't mean to say that I smiled and prayed every day. I simply acknowledged the idea that I was likely wrong with acceptance, and I hoped.

I did make a prayer that night, however. It was my first of two, both to my newly chosen Goddess, Farore. I did not want to say it aloud, for fear of waking the two on my back, but I said it in my head.

_"I know I'm not much of a model when it comes to man, and forgive me if this is rude or something. This is my first prayer in... I don't know how long. I haven't confessed to any sins since I was a boy... but I don't want to keep you all night with my past actions. I just want to ask a favor, not for me, but for the boy: Please show him you're there for him. Show him you're watching, if you are. Show him you approve, if you do. Do it any way you see fit: Give him a sudden burst of hope in his hour of darkness, make a gift appear before him, _appear_ before him yourself for all I care, but please... whether I'm being paranoid or I'm correct and he's in doubt, please do something to help him._

_And I'm sorry for breaking the ranch-man's nose nineteen years ago, but he deserved it for calling her fat."_

After my prayer, I felt a little better myself. Even horror stories have need for comfort.

So it was that I spent the remainder of the night pondering life itself. What does it mean to live? Are we here because the higher powers love us, or are we a show for them? Are we here with our own free will, or is everything pre-determined? Is there life beyond ours, or are we alone in a void?

I was never very good with philosophy, but it was a good way to kill the time. I wasn't tired that night, and I didn't come up with answers to my questions (philosophers never do).

When the morning came and Link awoke, he had turned to face me while he slept. When he opened his eyes to be face to face with a big old wolf, he jumped. The fairies (who had awoken a little while before) found it amusing, and it was, but to me it wasn't so funny that it was worth openly reacting to.

"How do you feel, Link?" I asked him.

"Better, I guess," was his response. I don't know much, but I do know that when someone says "Better, I guess" in the tone that _he_ did, it's usually not true.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He shivered.

"Canis, I saw things in that temple..."

"Do you want to talk about what you saw?" I asked.

I had to explain to the Hero why it was so important to talk about what someone that takes lives does. It doesn't matter if you kill for a noble cause. Death is death is death. I told him about what the Assassins do after a mission: They are sent to a mind doctor to talk about what they did. I did it, Sanford did it, Deimos did it, Altaïr did it... it didn't happen all of the time, but typically when someone held in their deeds for too long, they collapsed. Being a morose, stoic Assassin is not desirable. The suicide rate is... above average.

He told me of things he saw in the Void, most of which were to be expected from it. He thanked me for the armor he was currently wearing because it saved his life; the collar blocked a Redead from his neck. As long as he said yes to what was to be asked of him, he'd be well off with the armor I was about to give him. I did not intend on getting anymore armor for the boy. _Assassin Magistro_ is the strongest quality armor an Assassin can wear. The only exceptions are of the legendary Assassins- I don't know how most of them made their armor, nor do I know where any of it is.

After he talked to me about what happened in the Void (he said his heart stopped beating while he was there, which made sense to me because no living thing can enter the Void, so the least he'd have to do is technically become undead for a while).

I could still see how that bothered him, though. What made me nervous (I think his fairies picked up on how I felt) was that Link told me that he felt forces trying to corrupt him, which got me back to thinking of the curse of undeath, vampirism, mind-shattering illness, and all that which the Void spawns.

Once he was done, I told him to wait while I went to get him the armor I technically stole.

When I got back to my favorite watering hole (where I left the armor), that man was waiting for me again. Today, he was simply standing by the armor, staring down at it. I trotted over to his side and he turned away, looking at the Forest Temple that peeked over the trees.

"Have you been to the Sacred Forest Meadow, Canis?" he asked. I looked down at the armor, and then back at him. I didn't want to take too long, or Link might lose his patience.

Before I said a word, he clarified. "Not for errands, but for meditation or relaxation."

"No."

He looked down at me. "You might consider going there sometime for some relaxation. From what you remember... ain't it a fine spot?"

"I guess so."

"You guess so... Canis, how do you feel about death?"

"Indifferent."

"Is that right?"

"What's your angle, friend?" I finally asked. He looked back at the Temple.

"Indifferent is not how I would describe you."

"How would you describe me?" I asked. He finally looked at me again.

"You're a coward. You're painfully afraid of dying, or at least you fear pain. 'Ganondorf had me compromised. I could not defeat him in this form.' That is what you want to believe. In reality, you were afraid. You feared being placed in more pain, and you were grateful to have life to live again."

"Watch it, mister," I said, growling lowly.

"You're a coward, a liar, and you have your own overbearing ego. This is why you are a hypocrite, Canis."

"I said mind your tongue."

"You cannot even admit defeat to yourself. You are such a mess inwardly that you believe you have no fear of death. However, when it comes around-"

"I said be quiet!" I shouted, and I lunged at him, my jaws intent on catching his neck. However, he weaved out of the way of my attack, and when I turned about to face him again, he was gone.

"You will be judged," he said from behind me, and I whirled around. "All will be judged. You will die much like Altaïr. I can sense that about you. When that time comes... well, that's another story."

I tried to lunge at him again, but he weaved out of the way. This time, as I turned to face him, he was on my other side. Looking over my shoulder at him, he was staring at the Temple once more.

"You really should try and relax by the Temple, Canis. The Soul of the Forest is clearest there... though I recommend you search the Village of the Kokiri first. I've heard of a cache there with armor the likes of which you've never seen."

"What are you talking about?" I growled.

"That really is a fine spot... I'll see you around, Canis."

When I last saw the man, he was walking in the direction of the Forest Temple, and then he vanished from view as the trees obstructed him from me. I had attacked him, but none of my strikes landed. I caused no damage to him, much as he did not fight back. All he did was dodge. He never retaliated.

I took the armor up and put what he said behind me, instead focusing on what I had to say to get Link to agree to this armor.

When I returned, I described the armor to Link and told him the name. I told him that it is the highest-quality armor shy of that from a legendary Assassin, and then I told him that in order to wear it, he must become an Assassin.

I'll admit, he reacted in no way that I thought he would. I thought he would say 'no', and then lash out at me for saying something like that. He's done much for me, so I feared he'd view me as ungrateful. Instead, he was emotionless. He was neither angry nor happy. He was not strong nor fearful. Only his fairies showed any reaction to my statement.

"I would perform the initiation myself, but there would be differences from what I am used to. Would you hear these differences?"

He nodded, and I spoke further.

"Once we celebrated loyalty through the removal of a ring finger-" I glanced down at my left paw, where one toe was absent. "-but no longer. It is one of the reasons we failed in our missions; it identified us. Instead, I would brand your finger with the mark of the Assassin, using the small symbol on a _bulla_ I once wore."

The Hero eyed me strangely and echoed one of my last words. "_Bulla?_"

I did not know that word so well in English, but I did my best to translate it anyway. "Eh... Ah-moo... Ah-moo-let?"

"Amulet?" asked the blue fairy, Navi. Hearing the word again brought it back to me, and I nodded. Yack looked a little dejected, but I did not bother to ask why.

I told him a little more of my plan, and he frowned.

"So, let me get this straight: You want me to do some kind of ceremony and engrave something on my finger for an order I don't even know anything about?"

My ears drooped, and it hurt me to think I offended the Hero of the Time.

"When you put it that way, it sounds horrible."

He kept frowning for a few seconds, but that frown slowly gave way to a smile (to my great relief). "Canis, is there an Order here in Hyrule?"

I shook my head and informed him of something else I was sure to be a deal-breaker. There is no standing Order of Assassins in Hyrule- it is why my team was sent to kill Ganondorf from overseas. Once the current conflicts were over, Link would become Grandmaster and would have to build the Order himself. Recruiting people might not sound so difficult, but doing so while remaining in the shadows; that is, recruiting enough members to thrive but not enough to raise the alarm of our enemies... it is difficult.

Link was mature about what I asked of him; more mature than I gave him credit for. My lack of faith in the boy only brought me more shame.

"Canis, tell me what I may want to know. You'll have to convince me, tell me what the Assassins believe in."

So I told him of our history, of our beliefs in safe-guarding free will. I told him that we are the sworn enemies of the Knights Templar. I told him of the Assassin's Creed and the Three Tenets that guard it. I told him many things that I cannot say aloud to anyone outside the order. In this way, I broke a Tenet and comprimised the Creed. However, I would never have told him all of this if he wasn't the least bit interested, and it's not like there's a standing order in Hyrule to feel adverse effects if I was not successful.

Link thought deeply of everything I told him. I even told him of Altaïr Ibn La Ahad, of his shortcomings and his redemption. By now, I no longer scowled at the thought of Altaïr. He betrayed the Creed, and, now that I thought about it, so have I. I have no right to hold resentment toward him.

After several minutes of quiet meditation (he needed time to think), he sent his fairies away so he could rehearse with me what he needed to do. My relief in this sense was overwhelming, though I felt guilty for putting this upon his shoulders to begin with.

Though I've violated much of the Creed already, I withhold the exact rehearsal he and I held. Instead, I will describe some of the actual initiation, as the rehearsal includes _why_ we did some of what we did, while the initiation was just the initiation.

Rehearsal only took about an hour, and Link called for his fairies (I felt guilty doing this, but I had to if I wanted to give Link this armor). They weren't going to deny this initiation. Though fairies are parental figures for Kokiri, Navi and Yack were determined to let him make his own decisions.

I still felt bad, though.

We lit a small fire, I got my ah-moo-let, Link bound it to a small stick, and we placed it in the fire to heat up. Link took his position before me while his fairies rested on the ground nearby. I even told Link what my phrase meant (after remembering what that man said it meant).

"_Nihil versus, omnia licita. _The wisdom of our creed is revealed through these words."

I eyed the Hero, trying to appear stoic but finding it difficult to hide my split feelings of pride and guilt.

"While others are blinded searching for truth, we know..."

"Nothing is true."

"While others are bound by law, we know..."

"Everything is permitted."

"We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins."

With these words, Link offered his finger, and I lifted the stick in my jaws, handing it to Link. He blew out the flame eating away at the wooden stick, and pressed the hot _bulla_ into his finger. There it stayed for a few moments, and Link bit back most of the pain. I could smell flesh burning and I could hear it, too. However, a burn wasn't as bad as watching an Assassin give up his ring finger without pain killers.

I remembered when my finger was offered. I, like many other Assassins before or after me, fainted from the amputation. Even during my curse, when the finger was a missing toe, I would sometimes feel pain or presence in that spot, though there was nothing there. In a sense, I was very happy I didn't ask to remove his ring finger. It would take weeks of recovery that he just didn't have.

Once it was over, I bowed to him.

"With this brand you are forever marked a member of our brotherhood. You are permitted to wear the armor of the Grandmaster Assassin."

Link smiled at me. "Thank you, Canis."

"No, thank you, Link. You are keeping the brotherhood alive. I will always be indebted to you, my friend."

The burn must have been bothering him, because he kept shaking his hand in the air, trying to cool it.

"You're not going to be feeling great the next few days, Link. If you find a healing fairy you'll be left with the scar but you'll fully recover. If you dip it in water or find a potion to drink you'll feel better, too. I've also been looking for armor that a legendary assassin once wore. If you come back before you move on to that _cunni_, I'll try to have it for you."

It just... came out. I thought of what the strange man mentioned when I wasn't trying to kill him. When he mentioned armor the likes of which I have never seen, I thought of legendary armor. I figured the man was losing his sanity, but I couldn't leave a hint like that without checking it out first.

The Hero patted my head like I was a common housepet, but did it with his burnt hand. It was around there that I started to understand why he bore the Triforce of Courage and not that of Wisdom. I did not say a word, though, and instead licked the burnt hand (in an effort to help the pain stop), and looked back up at the new Assassin.

"Change into your new armor and bring back the old that I may remove evidence of its existence from this land."

That's what he did. He took the new armor, went behind a few trees and started to change. Meanwhile, I couldn't stand seeing his fairies looking so excited (Navi, at least), so I walked over and asked them what they thought of Link's new position.

I was pleasantly surprised to hear no sharp words from either of them. Yack simply said that it was the boy's decision (it was), and Navi remained silent- until Yack told her to think of Ganondorf as a target. I felt a lot better about Yack around then, mainly because he defended what the Hero did of my request. Navi smiled finally.

"I just hope he's careful," she said. So did I.

When Link returned in the new armor, I felt right away like he was born to wear it. The role of _Il Mentore _was most becoming on him. The armor even came with a dagger in case it was needed, though with the Holy Blade at his side, I doubted he would need it.

Still, every precaution taken may be a disaster averted. He gave me back the old armor, and I bowed to the best of my ability.

"_Nihil versus, omnia licita._ Show your might to the plagues of the Desert, and return to me when you are finished."

-.T

When I first wandered into the village of the Kokiri, it was the night of my first day as a beast. At the time, none of the nymphs were out to see me, and I never came back to the village again until a month and a half later, when I accidently stumbled out of my hunting grounds and into those of the Kokiri.

By then, I was skin and bone (I got lucky the first few nights in hunting, but after that, my luck dried up). I wandered farther out, trying to find something to eat, and then as I was looking around, I caught movement in my peripheral vision.

My eyes shot forward and I got ready to fight, or to flee. About five meters ahead of me were three small children- the forest nymphs themselves. They all carried bows, and two more carried small daggers, too. On their backs were two kills each. For months I thought they were very gifted hunters, but later found out that it was just a very good night on their part.

We stared each other down for about two minutes before one of the children stepped forward, holding out a dead rabbit for me.

"Here, you beast. Come, you are starving. Eat this."

This was back when I still had a shred of pride in myself, and so I was mortified when I instinctively licked my chops. The three Kokiri smiled in unison, and the one holding the rabbit out got closer.

The reason these children were so foolish as to approach a starving wolf is because they are _not_ foolish. I don't contradict myself; wild beasts almost never attack the Kokiri, perhaps due to their attunement to nature. I've seen Kokiri explore the woods and actually pet wild bears. I guess the beasts of the land knew Link wasn't a true Kokiri and would show aggression towards him. Otherwise, he and his fairies would not have been so scared when I first met them.

I took the rabbit in my jaws when the child got close enough, and he pointed to my teeth.

"Look, the white fang!"

He looked down at me as I got ready to eat what was offered to me (and also, what remained of most of my pride).

"This wolf is part dog."

From then on, I was called "Mia Tuk" by the Kokiri. So, when they called my name as I entered their village that day, I had to resist the urge to approach them, and start sniffing for any sign of the tomb that may or may not lie beneath them.

Since it was the tomb of a Legendary Assassin, I doubted I would find a scent (I was right, too). However, if I was able to find it, I knew that the roots of the Great Deku Tree (the former diety of Kokiri Forest) limited the size of the tomb. Odds are, it would only be one room, like the previous cache.

I also knew that I would likely end up taking the armor and running. I cannot defeat Brutus' doppleganger, so there's no way I could defeat that of a legendary Assassin.

I started keeping my eyes peeled for any inconsistencies in the landscape: places where grass grew slightly taller than average, places that were covered by more rocks than usual (some spots in the village of the Kokiri are very rocky), maybe a spot where river water was re-directed. Assassins refer to these spots as "Slips"- they are places invisible to the untrained eye (that is, not noteworthy), but a calling card of weapon caches.

I found an abandoned house, and for the first few minutes, I tried to visually measure the distance between the house and the late Great Deku Tree (I met his seedling once... agh, that annoying little birch...), and when I reasoned that it was far enough for a cache to be present, I leapt in through a window.

The must and cobwebs in the air weren't the only way I knew this home was vacant. The "VACANT" sign in front of the house was the dead giveaway. Either that, or there's a Kokiri named "Vacant", and I'm pretty sure there isn't.

I looked around the house, sneezing from the lack of cleanliness for many years, until I found what I was looking for in the fireplace.

The man was right. There was a cache here in the village, and this one was a picture of one of the tenets of our Creed.

I bashed the door in and tumbled through darkness for a short while. I was getting pretty tired of doing that.

Once I landed, I lay there for a few moments, dizzy from the fall. It took longer than usual to reach the actual cache. Once I cleared my head, however, my blood ran cold when I looked up.

Not facing me, but only a few meters ahead was Achilles.

...Well, at least, the doppleganger of Achilles. His back was towards me, and he chose instead to study armor not far ahead of him.

My eyes widened when I saw the armor. It was the armor of Achilles. His doppleganger protected his actual armor. I wondered for a moment if the actual Achilles' remains were housed here, but I did not feel the need to explore any more than I needed to.

I took a step forward, prepared to fight, and flee with the armor, but the doppleganger spoke.

"Safety and peace, brother."

Being so close to the Lost Woods, I was able to speak, though for a moment I did not. Once I registered that this doppleganger was one of the few that could speak, I responded while bowing to the best of my ability.

"On you as well. It is my honor to be in your presence."

"It is my honor to have a visitor to my cache. I've heard of your deeds through the Goddess of Courage."

I glanced up above for a moment before looking back at Achilles. Finally, he turned to face me, but not a single part of his movement was threatening. He simply wanted to speak.

"I have not had visitors, evil or otherwise in my cache for a small eternity. Not since the cache was built with the Great Tree's permission, actually."

I was going to ask him more about that, but I eyed the armor. He caught my eyes move ever so slightly. It was one of the reasons he was so deadly. He could pick out the slightest movement and kill you before you even raised a weapon.

But he did not kill me, nor did he acknowledge his armor.

"Cursed Assassin of the Seventh Rank, why do you want my armor? You are but a beast. You cannot wear it. You cannot appreciate its glory. You cannot repair it and return its full strength. Why go to the trouble?"

I told him why I wanted it. I told him I wanted it for the Hero of the Time. I told him it was to help the Hero defeat the evil Gerudo. As I spoke, he listened.

I told him why I had broken our Creed so often lately; that it had been done for the greater good. He listened and noted well all that I said. When I finally finished, he nodded.

"These are noble missions you set yourself upon, and I will let you have my armor, undying beast."

I took a step forward, and he continued.

"However, I wonder if you could first do me a favor?"

I paused, and looked up at him. "Anything in my power."

"Well, as I said, I do not get visitors at my cache. I hone my skills on the air and the walls. It would mean a lot to have at least one battle. No, it will not be to the death, and no, if you lose, you will not have to forfeit the armor. I simply want to battle a living creature, and you, as I understand, live but cannot die."

I stared, and he continued. "Will you do this for me?" he asked. "As I said, even if you lose, you may take the armor."

I nodded. "It would be an honor to face you, _Il Mentore._"

I couldn't say no to a request like this, even if I was going to lose. Achilles immediately went on the attack, and that was when I learned one of many reasons as to why he was so deadly. Many that engage in battle (a surprise Assassination is not a battle) will get into a stance or dance around a target first. Achilles attacked without warning, and that's how he cut me on by left side.

Achilles was also very difficult to knock off balance. I could throw my full weight into his body, and he simply wouldn't fall off his feet. This was how he stabbed me through my throat.

Achilles was impossibly fast. His attacks were precise, and were delivered too quickly for a counterattack. That was how I got most of my other wounds.

I was defeated in under a minute by this doppleganger. He wasn't even as powerful as the true Achilles was.

I wish I could draw the battle out longer, but I can't without fabricating some of it. Achilles was dipped in the River Styx save for his ankles as a child, and whenver I went for his ankles (his one weakness), he'd avoid me. The real Achilles was killed after his power was sapped by an injury to an ankle, allegedly. Some say that he still lives, for they believe that those who cannot be killed by a thousand men cannot be claimed by nature. The doppleganger learned to protect with great skill his greatest weakness.

Our battle was very brief, but Achilles still commended my efforts as if I was a worthy opponent. I told him I did not understand why he gave me praise when I managed for about forty five seconds, and he turned away.

"Forty five seconds is pretty good. Most last less than twenty." (He was likely talking about the actual Achilles).

I tried to pull a surprise attack, but he quickly had me subdued with a blade to my throat.

Saying nothing, he got off and allowed me to stand. He turned away, facing his armor.

"You have fulfilled my desire for a battle long enough. Take my armor to the Hero, blue-eyed beast. Wish him well."

I bowed respectfully to him as he took the armor off its stand and situated it on my body.

"_Nihil versus, omnia licita. _I may not be the victor, but it was an honor to battle you, _Il Mentore._"

With that, Achilles' doppleganger vanished, and I was left to leave the cache through a series of tunnels. They opened up in the Lost Woods, surprisingly not too far from the cave in which I made my home.

I felt unworthy to even see the armor of Achilles, let alone feel it. Staring at it felt like it required the strength of a man greater than I. That being said, I knew one person that could fit this armor perfectly. I knew a man greater than I.

I rested in my home, and for the first time in a long time I was genuinely happy. I felt like a success.

I found the Hero armor; armor that saved his life on numerous occasions. I found a way to turn Ganondorf's curse into an asset, however briefly. I know now that I _was _responsible in part for the campaign against Ganondorf. I simply wasn't the one destined to kill him. I was destined to outfit the one destined to kill him. This is what I learned from my chosen Goddess' interaction with the doppleganger Achilles.

I have done my part, and while Link takes down the last shred of Ganondorf's influence, I wait.

Soon, I will bestow this armor upon the Hero for his attack on the man himself. It will be then that my part will be complete.

It will be then that I can finally rest.

End of Chapter

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**6,172 words.**

**DO NOT ASK ME ABOUT OTHER STORIES ON MY STORIES, PLEASE. If you need to know that badly about something I'm planning, pm me. Otherwise, be patient.**

**Manifest Destiny**** is to be started after a brief (day or two) recess from finishing this story. As for this story, I have one more chapter to write (shouldn't be very long), and then the trivia chapter. Once that's over, MD it is.**

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**"Larry stared me down for what felt like ages, and I wondered to myself whether he was considering my request, or trying to think of a good way to kill me. After the staring contest, he nodded and turned away.**

**"Okay, then. I'll do you a solid, Mil. I'll spare his life."**

**My relief was overwhelming. His was influence that we could not make due without. Suddenly, however, he whirled around to me again.**

**"But one thing: I'm doing this as a favor, or not doing this as a favor. Get in the way of any of my other targets, and you're my _next_ dead-ee."**

**That was the second to last time I ever saw Larry Sizemore."**

**-Possible block from Manifest Destiny.**

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**That's the first and last time I will respond to a question about another story through review. Back to our regularly scheduled program:**

**Next chapter ends this shortie. It will be Canis reflecting further on all that he has done, and some other stuff.**


	7. Resting Wolf

**Chapter 6**

**Resting Wolf**

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**"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds."**

**-J. Robert Oppenheimer**

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Now I am content as I return to the forest that has been my home for seven long years. The armor has been delivered to the Hero, and I did not destroy the _Assassin Magistro._ He was made to wear that armor, and I hope it and the armor he wears now both serve him well.

He invited me to dine with him at the ranch-girl's home today. It was almost a 'last supper' for he and I. For Link, it was the last time he'd eat and rest before he killed Ganondorf. For me, it was my last meal.

His fairies and I had a heart to heart during the meal. I no longer viewed Yack as irritating. He was a kind little one, and that I did not care for him in the past shames me. The blue one, Navi, was loving and kind, and it pleases me to know that the Hero is accompanied by fairies such as they.

We said goodbye after the meal, and I retreated to the forest while Link headed for Ganondorf's Castle. I wondered if he thought of a way over the pit of lava in order to enter, but I assured myself that the boy thought of it. If the boy was not resourceful, he would not have made it out of the forsest temple.

With nothing else to do when I returned to the forest, I went to my home by the watering hole. No, I did not rest in it. I just stared at it. I stared at the grass flattened by the frequent resting I did there. I looked at the watering hole that nourished my thirst and cooled my body on humid days. I looked at the place that, before meeting the hero I used to mourn the past.

I was grateful. Had I not encountered the Hero, I don't know what I would do right now. Would I have spent every day wandering aimlessly, eventually dying in a random spot in the forest as a wild beast might? Would I not wander, but wonder; wonder what now could have been like had I succeeded seven years ago? I do not know, and I do not want to know.

I looked at my former home, and I just stood there for ten minutes or so. Part of me wanted to lay down in the flat grass again. Another part wanted to drink from the stream; to lay in the water for a moment. I did none of these things.

It was sad, leaving my home. I decided to do what that man recommended: I would visit the Sacred Forest Meadow and relax.

I made the trip to the meadow where I found the first cache, and I stood over the entrance behind the stump for a while and stared at it, specifically the symbol on the door- that of the Assassins. I heard the Soul of the Forest as all animals do, and I bowed my head to the symbol respectfully.

I began to get tired while watching the symbol, and my body lost a little feeling. My heart beat was slowing, but more noticeable to me. I could feel it.

As my heart slowed I thought of the battle with Ganondorf- that which went on now. I thought of what Link might be doing to the man, and I smiled the best I could.

"Lie down for a moment and rest," said a familiar voice. I did not look around for the source because the source did not exist. It was only the sound.

My heart slowed further, and I became sleepier. I trudged before the stump and sat.

"...Perhaps I'll just... lie down and rest a moment."

That is what I did. My energy was fading, and I lay my head down as well. For a few moments, all I could hear was the Soul of the Forest. My breathing slowed, but did not quite stop. My body became more foreign. It felt as I was having an out of body experience.

I was wounded by Ganondorf that day seven years ago. When I took this form, it was strong and healthy, but the curse was a wound that would take my life from me.

My vision blurred, and I shut my eyes to try and fix my sight. I heard footsteps approach, and I thought it was the Hero for a moment.

I could sense the presence crouch down before me. I could feel eyes on me.

"Canis."

"What time is it?" I asked, opening my eyes. Now I saw the strange man one more time.

"It's time to go," he said. With that, he placed his hand on my side, and the agony I endured for seven years faded away. I was finally dying of the wounds I received seven years ago.

The last thing I can think now is that the Hero of the Time... was... successful.

_**Al la fin to the max.**_

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**846 words. I told you it'd be short.**

**There will be no Christmas one-shot for this story because of it's frequently somber tone. **

**If anybody cares enough about this story and is wondering who the Strange Man was, I don't know either. Like the _Red Dead Redemption_ character he is based off of, he was designed to be whatever you think he could rationally be. There is no correct answer, and no incorrect one.**

**I don't have much to say about it now. I'm relieved I'm done, though.**

**Next chapter is trivia, so it might take me a bit to get all the info together.**


	8. The Stuff You May Have Missed

**Chapter 7**

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**The Stuff You May Have Missed**

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**Prologue:**

-The man Canis is referring to is the Strange Man.

-The bond with Link that Canis reportedly feels is a father-son bond, considering the events of "A Song for You".

-It's not necessarily true that you feel pain during starvation. Some people report feelings of euphoria. I never got around to fixing that, except for making Canis later mention that it's Ganondorf's curse that makes hunger hurt him.

-"Lie down and rest a moment" is a nod to the last thing Altaïr Ibn La Ahad does before dying. The objective is something like "Sit down for a moment and rest..."

**Chapter 1:**

-The Strange Man is my nod to a character of the same 'name' in _Red Dead Redemption._

-"Sinterklaas" means "Santa Claus".

-Sanford and Deimos are nods to characters in _Madness Combat._

-"Ass-ume" is a reference to a line in _House, m.d._

-"Yack" is not a typo. That's how Canis pronounces "Jack".

-"Mental, I took hold..." is not a typo. It's broken english. Canis is trying to say "I took hold of this power mentally" or something to that effect.

-The "Sleeper Spell" provides me with a little ease of mind when it comes to the Twilight Princess transformation. I'm an obsessive SOB that way.

-"I know the unknown can be awful scary..." is the Strange Man playing to his conviction that Canis fears the unknown.

-"Many damn my name". Work it out on your own.

-"This isn't some game; he's not going to find some magic heart that'll somehow make him stronger." I was going to tell you what that meant, but if you cannot figure out what that means, I'll also assume that you cannot read, so no harm was done.

-I know it's actually "Hero of Time". "Hero of the Time" is broken english.

-"Conflict amongst themselves" is a play to what is likely happening in Masyaf for the Assassins while this story takes place. *Sports coke-bottle lenses* If you played _Assassin's Creed: Revelations,_ you know that the Assassins suffered civil turmoil shortly after the events of AC I. *Dons sweater vest* It's quite possible that this story *Parts hair* is taking place at the same time those turmoils take place overseas.

Yes, I know a lot of the story for _Assassin's Creed_, but I'm not so good on most of the dates. Don't judge me.

-"Since I no longer had my hidden blade (or opposable digits)..." you realize Canis is a wolf, right?

-Ptolemy is most well known for the Geocentric Theory of the Solar System- the idea that the heavens rotated around the Earth. His theory was later rejected and the Heliocentric Theory (the theory that all bodies orbit the Sun, I think) was adopted. Now, we know that only so many objects orbit the Sun, and they don't do it in circular orbits, but elliptical ones.

-The Strange Man was onto something with Canis. The wolf is a psychological disaster, isn't he?

-"Malik" is an Assassin seen most frequently in _Assassin's Creed_. I don't know what weapon was used to take off his arm, but in this case, it was a Mongol's Sword.

-The reason Canis doesn't explain how he removes armor from existence is partially because that might be used against the Assassins, but mostly because I don't know how he does it, either.

**Chapter 2:**

-In some cases, dialogue with the Strange Man mirrors dialogue between John Marston and the Strange Man in _Red Dead Redemption._ It's my way of emphasizing where the character originated.

-The Sheikah is "Sheik".

-Stalhounds are the skeleton dogs in _Twilight Princess_, I think. Imagine Canis giving Link armor as a Stalhound. "What happened, Canis?"

"...It's a flesh wound."

-I don't know much more about Remus, other than he was the brother of Romulus, and he and his brother (I think) were supposedly raised by a she-wolf after their mother abandoned them (a myth for you). Or something. I don't know the story so good.

-An explosion can kill you in four different ways: Explosive trauma, burning, shrapnel, or asphyxiation.

-Canis was able to sense what Jack was hiding from Navi and Link. Jack, I think you should've been proud of what you did. I know I would have been, but then again I don't have shame.

-Canis, like several of my OC's, is kind of a sociopath. He didn't even like shaking hands, I guess.

-The Assassin that would've killed Jack for saying "those words" is either Sanford, or Altaïr.

**Chapter 3:**

-"Bang Bang You're Dead" is a reference to the name of a movie I once saw. In Health class.

-The Carl Sagan quote is pretty nonsensical in respect to this chapter, but what he said is true. Imagine you landed on the surface of Venus. Venus' surface temperature is greater than that of Mercury, and the atmosphere is mostly Carbon Dioxide and Sulphuric Acid (some water vapor is suspected). While the atmospheric pressure on Earth (air presses on you) is about 300 psi (you don't feel it because you're used to it), Venus' atmospheric pressure is 10 times that- 3000 psi. If you landed on Venus right now, you would be cooked, burned, and crushed all at the same time.

-Either Canis is right and the Strange Man has some kind of power, or the Strange Man is simply a hallucination and does not actually exist.

-Nabooru doesn't know how lucky she is to be alive, huh?

-Canis is weakening because the stab to his neck severed his carotid artery. You can imagine him spurting blood like a sprinkler.

-Canis waking up to twelve redeads over him may be close to what Custer's last view may have been, except Custer wasn't surrounded by redeads (nor was Canis, I'm just saying).

-The chain was attached to Canis' left front paw. Which paw is Wolf Link bound by in _Twilight Princess?_

-As far as I can tell, what Canis said about wolves is true. A wolf doesn't usually attack a man unless hunger has it crazed. More often than not, it's "you go that way, I'll go this way".

-As for wolves showing affection for humans, that's also entirely possible. I've seen wild wolves actually trot up to a few humans they've known all their lives, and I've seen these wolves lick the humans, allow themselves to be pet, and I saw the Alpha Female show one of the humans where her pups were being housed- it was as if these humans were part of the pack. It's a documentary on Youtube called "Living With Wolves", I think.

-Sam/Chuck is not the guard that Jack got into the spat with. In _Burn Notice_, one of the main character's best friends is named "Sam Axe", and he uses the cover I.D "Chuck Finley" for almost all his missions. Here, we see "Chuck Finley" using "Sam Axe" as a cover I.D.

-"You're on a mission, and be it of God's command, of an experience with death, or your own volition, you want to do something." Think about this line deeply, and look for connections with something else in the story.

-Oops, appearantly Anju unlocked Canis' paw-lock twice.

**Chapter 4:**

-"Mia Tuk" means "White Fang". The original name for this chapter was "White Fangs", and believe it or not, it originally had no connection to Jack London's White Fang. Like Veck's pack in defunct "We Shall Be Together In Paradise", I had no knowledge of London's story until some time after using the name.

-The Tenet that would be violated if Canis "threw caution to the wind" would be Creed II- Hide in plain sight.

-In SHFA, I was actually intending on making Jack a little racist towards Gorons to take away a little affection the reader might have for him, but I forgot to do that about 11 seconds after I thought of it.

-"Time Temple" is Canis' way of saying... well, you figure it out.

-That Caesar said "E tu, Brute?" before dying is only speculated. It's not proven, mainly because Caesar died over 2000 years ago, and since then refuses to respond to any emails on the issue.

-Canis did not find Brutus' armor so Ezio Auditore could find it in a later _Assassin's Creed_ game.

-Take a guess what Italia means.

-The way to reduce injury from an impact that you may take is to become a ragdoll. Let your body relax as it is hit, don't get tense, and your bones will be able to resist much more damage. Canis is basically trying to avoid saying "get hit like a ragdoll".

-I originally planned on Canis defeating Brutus, but as I thought about it, I wondered "If Canis can defeat one of the legendary Assassins, why can he not defeat Ganondorf? Why couldn't he hunt to sustain himself?" So, I had him turn tail.

-The "Fighting Wolf" is another reference to White Fang.

-The dagger Canis took is the one Link used to free himself from Ganondorf's choke hold.

-"...stop saying stupid things about love" is a paraphrase of a quote by Sam Pulsifer in An Arsonist's Guide to Writer's Homes in New England by, Brock Clarke.

The real quote is "For those of us who've lost it, love is also the thing that makes us speak in aphorisms about love, which is why we try to get love back, so we can stop speaking that way. Aphoristically, that is."

**Chapter 5:**

-When Canis mentions "Vampires", he doesn't mean the sparkling little pixies that that hack Stephenie Meyers writes about. Did I purge all the _Twilight_ fans? Good. I'm not trying to say that I'm a better writer than Meyers. She's actually a very talented person and I would be the first to congratulate her on her success if I met her.

I have to say that, lest I get my butt sued off.

-I'm not actually an Athiest, but I had to talk down to them a bit, since they tend to talk down to thiests. Just because I'm a thiest (one that believes in God) doesn't mean I'm not a horrible, evil person though. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a very good Catholic.

-Canis' prayer to Farore, asking her to comfort Link leads to Farore's appearance in the Spirit Temple chapter of SHFA.

-Do you believe that everything happens for a reason? If so, then free will cannot exist. Do you believe in Free Will? Then nothing is pre-determined. If everything is pre-determined in causal history, then we do not freely decide to perform actions. We only perform said actions because we are pre-determined to do so. Therefore, Free Will does not exist.

However, if Pre-determinism is false (and there is no such thing as causality), then Free Will can exist. Some arguments even try to say that both _can_ co-exist. Me, I don't really care.

-Seriously, philosophers never come up with straight answers. Take the last few statements, for example.

-I almost wanted to write a story about Link succumbing to vampirism, and then I didn't anymore.

-The Strange Man suggesting that Canis visit the Sacred Forest Meadow later seals Canis' fate. That is, Canis was destined to die in the Sacred Forest Meadow.

-Jack looked disappointed when Navi said "Amulet" because of his ideas: "A mullet? A mood-let?"

-Canis mentioning feeling his missing digit is a reference to "Phantom Limb Sensation". Some amputees mention feeling pain in the limb they no longer have.

-"Look, the white fang! This wolf is part dog" is a reference to a line by Grey Beaver in _White Fang._

-There was no pun intended when Canis called the Great Deku Tree's seedling an "annoying little birch".

-_Il Mentore_ means "Mentor" in Italian. It sounds nicer than the latin version, which I'm not dead sure of anyway. By the way, _cunni_ means "cunt".

**Chapter 6:**

-The quote has an underlying connection to parts of this story that I will not disclose.

-Canis saying that the source of the voice he heard did not exist may either suggest that it did not exist at that moment, or it never did, and the Strange Man was a manifestation of his tormented mind. That's one possibility.

-Another possibility is that the Strange Man is a personification of death. Canis dies as he feels the man's touch. That could also become evidence that he is God, or the Devil.

* * *

**That's that. The Ocarina of Time stories are complete, as of now. Does anyone even read this?**

**I'm going to be taking a brief recess (day or so), and then I will start Manifest Destiny. I've still got to work out how many chapters it will end up being, though now I have a pretty good idea.**

**There will be no further updates to this story.**


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